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By Tyler Erzberger
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The World Baseball Classic is underway with Group C in Tokyo, Japan, and one team is already stealing the headlines for both positive and negative reasons.
Australia made waves at the 2023 tournament by being the surprise team to advance from the opening round into the knockouts, and they've continued that positive form to begin the 2026 event.
They showed off their power with a win over Chinese Taipei to kick off the WBC, and on Friday, the Aussies continued their winning ways. After falling behind 1-0 to Czechia, Curtis Mead of the Chicago White Sox hit a bomb in the Tokyo Dome to put Australia up 3-1.
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Although Czechia got a few men on base after the three-run blast and threatened to make a game of it, some late insurance runs put Australia a win away from all but confirming their place in the quarterfinals.
While the victory was going to be the headline of the day for the Aussies, a viral moment that sparked a debate about sportsmanship took over social media.
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A Czechia player attempted to shake hands with Australia catcher Robbie Perkins, but it didn't go as the European player had hoped. Perkins looked down at the hand before apologizing and telling his opponent, "I don't shake hands."
From lip leaders to baseball fans from across the globe, the non-handshake brought Perkins under fire from critics who believe he showed poor sportsmanship by not shaking his adversary's hand.
"Just shake the hand bro," one fan posted on X. "It's not that serious."
"People will now want to see [Australia] get crushed though," another wrote. "Not end of world but it is a bad look."
Sam Blum, a reporter for The Athletic, spoke with Perkins about the now-viral incident.
"Talked to Aussie catcher Robbie Perkins about this," Blum wrote. "He said it’s just a competitive thing, and nothing personal. If he sees the Czech team at the hotel he’ll check in. 'There’s absolutely no malice.'"
No matter the intent, Perkins will now have to be conscious of any time someone extends their hand to him in public or private. Who knows who could be watching?
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