NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Team USA World Baseball Classic manager Mark DeRosa shared why Robert J. O’Neill, the US Navy SEAL credited with killing terrorist Osama bin Laden, was invited to speak to the team last week.
O’Neill spoke to the team before the U.S. defeated Canada in the quarterfinals. The decision sparked a meltdown on social media.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
U.S. manager Mark DeRosa speaks in the dugout before a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
But before the game against the Dominican Republic, DeRosa was asked about having O’Neill in the locker room.
“It was my decision to bring him in,” DeRosa said, via Defector. “He was actually brought in a couple of days in Houston. It wasn’t until the Canada game. I think for me there has to be… you never want that to be lost as to why you do this. Whatever the ‘why’ is, and a lot of people, as Paul Skenes said to me when he signed up for this, ‘I’m going to do this for every serviceman and woman who protects our freedom, who protects our freedom.’
2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ODDS: USA HEAVY FAVORITE TO WIN IT ALL
Robert O’Neill speaks on stage during a book signing and lecture at the Richard Nixon Library on July 26, 2017 in Yorba Linda, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
“I just thought it would be kind of a time to redirect and make those guys understand that even though this is an incredible event and you get a chance to share a locker room with the greats of the game, there’s a reason why you do it and a reason why people protect our freedom at night. I just wanted to honor that.”
O’Neill wasn’t the only one hyping Team USA before the game.
DeRosa revealed that U.S. hockey hero Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada at the Olympics, reached out to the U.S. baseball players before Friday’s game.
USA manager Mark DeRosa adjusts his baseball cap prior to an exhibition baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
The USA defeated Canada and then went on to beat the Dominican Republic to reach the World Baseball Classic final.
