Seattle Mariners teammates Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena went viral for all of the wrong reasons during the first round of the World Baseball Classic. Before a Team USA-Team Mexico game, Raleigh, a catcher, refused to shake Arozarena's hand when he came to the plate to hit. Arozarena's postgame comments suggested he wasn't pleased about what occurred, but some speculated that he may have been being sarcastic. Raleigh shut down any drama over the situation in his comments. A similar situation came to fruition during Team USA's game on Friday against Team Canada.
Josh Naylor, who also plays for the Mariners, attempted to give the USA catcher a fist bump. Raleigh refused to engage once again, however.
Video via Luis Gilbert:
Cal Raleigh sin saludar a Josh Naylor ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/RPvCW3bWMG
— Luis Gilbert (@LuisGilbertLop) March 14, 2026
After the game, Naylor explained what actually happened, via Gilbert.
“No, we were all just joking,” Naylor told reporters. “Trying to really make light of the situation. I texted him before that I was gonna do it and he said, ‘Please don't.' But me and Cal are really good friends. He's an awesome teammate, honestly one of my favorite teammates I think I've ever had in my career.”
Naylor had nothing but praise for Raleigh. He doesn't consider Friday's viral WBC moment to be a big deal. In fact, he even explained that Raleigh is one of the reasons he enjoys playing in Seattle.
“He's such a leader, too,” Naylor continued. “I was really happy to get traded to the Mariners last year and kind of experience being in a locker room with him… Yeah, I love him. I was just honestly super joking. He's like, ‘Good to see you, brother.' And I was like, ‘Good to see you, too.' It is what it is.
“I'm not gonna try to, like, cause anything. It's not that big of a deal to be completely honest.”
Naylor will return to Mariners' spring training camp soon. Meanwhile, Raleigh and Team USA will continue their World Baseball Classic journey against Team Dominican Republic on Sunday night.
