While Cal Raleigh set off a bit of a storm after declining a friendly handshake from his Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena during the USA–Mexico game on Monday, he later tried to brush it off, saying it wasn’t anything worth talking about. But fans aren’t letting it slide that easily.

Cal Raleigh has repeatedly insisted there’s “no beef” between him and Arozarena, yet many fans aren’t convinced. And with Arozarena reportedly going on a rant about the moment, fans are pretty sure things have already turned sour between the two, and that Raleigh’s explanation might have come a little too late to calm the speculation.

“I mean, I love Randy,” Raleigh said, clearing the air. “I hate that this is a thing. There’s no beef. When we get back to Seattle, he’s my brother or family. It’s just a competitive environment. And I know he would want the same for me when we’re on the team and play off baseball.”

“I just have a responsibility for my teammates here right now, and in my country, emotions are running high… So we’re good friends, and we’ll continue to be good friends. I think we’re just enjoying competing against each other right now,” he added.

Even then, fans aren’t convinced that Raleigh’s refusal to shake Randy Arozarena’s hand was just a heat-of-the-moment reaction while playing for Team USA.

Why? Simply because during Monday’s USA–Mexico game, cameras caught Raleigh, who was behind the plate for the U.S., ignoring Arozarena’s attempt at a handshake as the Mexican star stepped up to bat. The two even exchanged a few words right after, but nothing escalated on the field.

Things took a sharper turn after the game, though.

Arozarena didn’t hold back in the locker room, clearly feeling that Raleigh had crossed a line in terms of clubhouse respect. Speaking to reporters in Spanish, he reportedly said Raleigh could “go to hell.”

And when asked about Raleigh briefly saying “good to see you” during the game, Arozarena shot back that the catcher could “shove it up his a–.”

So, that reaction has left Raleigh looking a bit isolated in the whole situation. Even though he’s been trying to play it down and insist there’s no bad blood, many fans feel the moment has already gone beyond how he’s framing it.

What’s more surprising is that some American fans, despite appreciating Raleigh’s competitiveness against Mexico, aren’t thrilled with how he handled it. And judging by the chatter all over social media, plenty of them think the move was unnecessary.

Fans are left unamused with Cal Raleigh

Fans find it contradictory to relate Raleigh’s “no beef” remark to how Arozarena reacted. “There’s no beef? Dude, he told you to shove it up your a– four different ways, and you expect people not to make it a thing?” One fan asks. “He didn’t ask for a hug or for you to carry him on your shoulders; a simple hand tap doesn’t make you anti-American. Jesus!” Another added.

Well, this was an unusual and sudden move by Arozarena at home plate. A batter extending his hand to the catcher is not a scene we see regularly. So while Raleigh was evidently caught off-guard by Arozarena’s sudden act, he still refused to move and even had a word. However, for the fans, it was a simple handshake between the two Mariners players. That surely would not have been considered anti-American.

And still, as Arozarena went no-holds-barred against Raleigh, fans wondered what made him still say there’s nothing between them. “He just made it even weirder with this whole clip,” a fan agrees.

A few fans found Raleigh’s act to be enough to start a beef. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have done that thing…,” one user remarked. “Doesn’t seem like an organic apology,” another added.

It was too evident during the game that Raleigh’s rejection caught Arozarena off guard, and that’s the reason behind the latter’s outburst after the game. But was it an unwarranted move by Arozarena in the first place? Considering that both Raleigh and Arozarena play together with the Mariners, it seemed just a moment of friendship at home plate. So, fans wonder, if creating beef was never on the cards, why act like that?

And yes, Cal Raleigh just justified his side and sounded absolutely unapologetic. Will that douse the controversy? We will have to see. Nevertheless, we are all certain that things will not be normal soon between Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena. And it would be interesting to see how both gel up once back in the Mariners’ camp.