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Team USA’s World Baseball Classic director Mark DeRosa shared the reason why Robert J. O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL credited with killing terrorist Osama bin Laden, was invited to speak with the team last week.
O’Neill spoke to the team before the United States defeated Canada in the quarterfinals. The decision caused a meltdown on social media.
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United States manager Mark DeRosa speaks in the dugout before the 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 questioned about having O’Neill in the locker room.
“That was my decision to bring him in,” DeRosa said, via Defector. “They brought it in, actually, a couple of days in Houston. It wasn’t before the Canada game. I think for me there has to be… you never want it to be lost why you’re doing this. Whatever that ‘why’ is and a lot of people, like Paul Skenes told me when he signed up for this, ‘I want to do this for every service man and woman who protects our freedom. That’s why we wear America on our chest.’
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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 a moment to redirect and make those guys understand that even though this is an incredible event and you get to share a locker room with the greats of the game, there’s a reason why you’re doing it and a reason why people protect our freedom at night. I just wanted to honor that.”
O’Neill wasn’t the only one cheering on Team USA before the game.
DeRosa revealed that American hockey hero Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada at the Olympics, approached American baseball players before Friday’s game.
U.S. manager Mark DeRosa adjusts his baseball cap before an exhibition baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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The United States defeated Canada and then beat the Dominican Republic to reach the finals of the World Baseball Classic.
