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Down 1-0 and headed into what appeared likely to be his team’s final at-bat in the Little League World Series, coach Jonathan Anderson turned to his faith to inspire an epic comeback.
In behind-the-scenes footage captured and aired by ESPN, Anderson could be heard telling his players to “stay calm” because the Lord had already ordained the outcome of the game.
“We’re already the champs. The Lord put it in his book. We’re just going to finish the story right here, right now,” he said.
Anderson continued, “Stay calm. Stay composed. Stay within yourself. But understand it’s already been written. It’s already ours. We just have to finish it here.”
Anderson’s religious message must have resonated with his boys, since they went on to score and force extra innings.
The team from Lake Mary, Florida, ultimately beat Chinese Taipei, 2-1, and claimed the Little League World Series crown.
Sunday’s win was the latest in a series of comebacks at the tournament for the Florida crew.
“Lake Mary faced elimination twice in the semifinal on Saturday night against the Southwest Region representatives from Boerne, Texas, but their fourth and final elimination game ended with a 10-7 victory,” per Fox News.
After ESPN aired Anderson’s religious speech to his team, social media was briefly flooded with reactions to his remarks — both positive and negative, according to Penn Live.
Many praised the coach for putting the attention on God in a big moment, while others questioned why he didn’t keep the focus on the kids’ hard work and preparation.
“Kudos to the Florida kids who won the Little League World Series, but no, Florida coach, it was the kids’ hard work that won the day, not your praying the other day,” one viewer wrote on X, per Penn Live.
Anderson was asked about his speech after the big win.
“All we had to do is just believe,” he said. “Do everything we were created to do, what we built ourselves to do, what we practiced to do, and here we are.”
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