During a crucial Little League World Series regional game, Arizona coach Drew Breivogel delivered a sermon to his pitcher on the mound, a moment captured by an ESPN hot mic that has since sparked widespread online discussion.
With runners on base and the game in a tense moment, Breivogel approached the pitcher and offered words of encouragement that focused on faith rather than baseball strategy. "I'm so proud of you," Breivogel reportedly told the player. "Remember Zacchaeus in the Bible? Someone planted that tree, 30, 40 years prior, so he could climb up into it. Salvation. We're talking salvation. It's a baseball game, right? ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! If you walk the next five guys Jesus is still Lord. If you strike out the next five guys, guess what? Jesus is still Lord. I love you. Have some fun."
The message quickly divided opinion on social media. Some viewers appreciated the coach's faith-based approach, drawing parallels to childhood experiences. Others expressed confusion, noting that the sermon lacked specific baseball advice that might help the pitcher overcome the immediate on-field challenge.
Commenters pointed out that Breivogel's message did not include technical advice or strategy. "How about a scouting report?" one user questioned. "Some advice about mechanics? Something that may actually help the kid learn baseball? If I was the pitcher I would of pushed my coach away." Another commenter suggested, "If I’m struggling on the mound on national tv and my coach comes up to me and starts this BS instead of advice or mechanical changes, I’m quitting." A third user speculated, "Then the next 3 hitters reached base safely because there was no gameplan instilled during the mound visit. This was a coach using TV to make himself look good he knew he was Mic’d up, that was his BIG moment."
The game ultimately saw Hawaii score four runs in that inning, contributing to their 5-2 victory and keeping them in contention. The pitcher's team went on to lose the regional game.
While acknowledging the validity of these criticisms, the article notes that it was a Little League game, involving 12-year-old children. The context of Little League baseball, often described as unpredictable, was also raised. The author recalled a similar situation from their own Little League experience, where a coach's advice was to "If you strike out, there are a billion people in China who won't care tomorrow," which provided some comfort to nervous young players. However, that team did not reach the Little League World Series, suggesting that a different approach might have been beneficial in that particular context.