On the way up to the plate for his first at-bat in a pivotal matchup between 2-0 Mexico and 2-0 USA last night, Mariners left-fielder Randy Arozarena looked down to say hello to Team USA catcher Cal Raleigh. Hoping for handshake or a quick dap, what Randy got back was nothing at all.
After the game ended in a 5-3 Mexico loss, the press caught up with Randy to ask about what happened in the exchange
between star teammates.
This isn’t the first time this year that a missed handshake has led to some amount of consternation. This isn’t even the first time Randy has had a missed connection with a Team USA catcher. But this particular instance feels a little more loaded. The fact that Cal and Randy are teammates for a Mariners team with big playoff aspirations in 2026 may be blowing some details out of proportion. Team USA has gotten a reputation so far in the tournament of being “sauceless” and this interaction has already built upon that.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson when asked said, “… these guys are incredible athletes because of their competitiveness… that’s why they’ve gotten to the level that they’ve gotten. I also know that our team loves each other deeply… that’s one of the key ingredients we have in our clubhouse is how much they love each other… I don’t anticipate this being any bit of an issue.” He then continued, “I haven’t had a chance to talk to either of them (…) I want to be able to do that here this morning,” before reiterating, “I know how much these guys love each other. Not concerned.”
The Mariners and Dan Wilson now have to go about the tricky business of managing an internal affair from a thousand miles away. It’s truly hard to say how serious Randy was in his grievances. Randy was all smiles and new boot goofin’ before the game, and some have suggested that Randy may not have been as serious. However. some Spanish speaking people believe that Randy was truly upset.
Cal and Team USA (3-0) move on for the their last game of group stage tonight versus Team Italy, but Cal is unlikely to get the start. Randy and Team Mexico (2-1) will play Team Italy tomorrow and will need to win in order to advance to the quarterfinals.
Both Cal and Randy will be back in the Mariners clubhouse in Peoria at some point in the next week or so, and hopefully this will all be a distant memory by then.
