Before knocking Team Canada out of the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Team USA got a pep talk from the former Navy SEAL who says he fired the shot that killed Osama bin Laden.
Robert J. O’Neill gave a pep talk (or rather, a retelling of the 2011 invasion of Pakistan), to the team in their dressing room at Daikin Park before the game on Friday, March 13.
O’Neill recounts a chaotic moment during a raid when he mistook the remains of his team’s helicopter for a training model. The misunderstanding drew laughter from the USA team.
The pregame speech is the second unusual speech that takes place during the World Baseball Classic. Before the previous SEAL application, the captain of Team America Aaron is the judge He went viral before the tournament because of his seemingly unpleasant message to the team.
“We’re down, we’ve been beaten a little, man,” said the Judge at the time. “You know, lean on each other, man, we will put it in line.
Jaji’s short speech failed to poll public opinion, and received criticism on social media before the tournament.
Team USA watches during the anthem before the game against Team Canada at Daikin Park on March 13
Alex Slitz/Getty Images“Aaron Judge’s WBC talk will get you going in no time,” says Barstool Sports via X.
With Friday’s 5-0 win over Team Canada, Team USA advanced to the semifinals of the bracket, where they will face the Dominican Republic on Sunday, March 15.
“Very good game. Canada played hard, good game all around,” said the manager of Team USA Mark DeRosa after winning. “What can we expect [in the next round?] Unreal nature. A respectful tone [the Dominican Republic]. … So I expect it to be one of the best games ever.”
Even getting this far in the tournament, there was controversy for Team USA, who exited the pool game by the skin of their teeth after losing to Team Italy in the last game before the quarterfinals.
That loss — which put DeRosa under fire for his pregame comments — nearly ended the tournament for Team USA, but thanks to tough post-pool play, the United States advanced to the quarterfinals.
“We didn’t forget that we had to go out and play well against Italy,” said DeRosa, clarifying his previous words that he thought the team would have made it to the quarterfinals before the match against Italy. “They played a hell of a game. They beat us in the mouth in the morning. They stood up big. We went into that game prepared to win. I think there’s a few false narratives out there. But, no, I knew for sure that we should have won that game based on every possible scenario. I mean, they went 2-0. We knew we played 2-0 the next day. Key rules involved.”
