World Baseball Classic: Team USA manager on why he had Robert J O’Neill speak to players

Team USA World Baseball Classic manager Mark DeRosa shared the reason why Robert J. O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL who is 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 quarterfinal. The decision sparked a social media meltdown.

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United States manager Mark DeRosa talks 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 questioned about having O’Neill in the locker room.

“That was my decision to bring him in,” DeRosa said, via Defector. “He was brought 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 get lost why you’re doing this. Whatever that ‘why’ is and a lot of people, like Paul Skenes said to me when he signed up for this, ‘I want to do this for every service man and woman that protects our freedom. That’s why we wear USA across our chest.’

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Robert O’Neill speaks onstage during book signing and lecture at Richard Nixon Library on July 26, 2017 in Yorba Linda, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

“I just thought it would be like a time to kind of redirect and get those guys to understand that, although this is an unbelievable event and you get a chance to share a locker room with the game’s greats, 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 to hype up Team USA before the game.

DeRosa revealed that USA hockey hero Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada at the Olympics, reached out to the American baseball players before Friday’s game.

United States manager Mark DeRosa adjusts his baseball cap prior to an exhibition baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The U.S. defeated Canada and then went on to beat the Dominican Republic to reach the World Baseball Classic final.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.