Team USA 2026 World Baseball Classic coaching staff has absurd number of Yankees ties

When Team USA takes on the field in the 2026 World Baseball Classic in their attempts to dethrone the Dodgers' next core -- sorry, that's Team Japan -- they'll be doing so with plenty of instruction from New York Yankees.

USA Baseball announced their WBC coaching staff on Friday, and one beloved ex-Yankee stands above the rest: Andy Pettitte, who will serve as pitching coach once again after embracing the role in the 2023 tournament. Outside of the World Baseball Classic, he seems satisfied with his advisory role for the Yankees, and isn't contemplating a return to the dugout. David Cone, though? Not sure we can say the same for him.

Beyond Pettitte, though, there's a plethora of former Yankees on returning skipper Mark DeRosa's staff, who fill us with varied emotions that range from warm and fuzzy to just warm (pants pee).

Matt Holliday, who was a veteran guiding hand on the upstart 2017 Yankees before he disappeared after suffering a strange medical affliction, will serve as the hitting coach. These days, he's known for being division rival Jackson and draft prospect Ethan's dad, but he could certified mash back in his day.

Brian McCann, who played an, ahem, different role during the unfolding of the 2017 Yankees' story, will be one of two assistant managers, alongside longtime Yankees thorn Michael Young, mainly of the Texas Rangers.

Former Yankees Andy Pettitte, Matt Holliday, Brian McCann highlight Team USA baseball coaching staff for World Baseball Classic

But oh, wait, there's one more!

While George Lombard Jr. tries to move up through the Yankees' system and justify his offseason hype, his father George Sr. will continue his coaching career with the honorific first base slot during Team USA's run. Lombard Sr. has been a sage counsel at the MLB level since 2016, serving on the Dodgers' coaching staff before becoming the Detroit Tigers bench coach back in 2021. Even though he hasn't technically been named an "assistant manager," he's interviewed for the role plenty in the past at various MLB stops. His time is coming.

As if there wasn't already enough to love about the WBC, now Yankees fans can root on plenty of their own during the tournament. They can also hope for dominant wins marred just a little bit by coaching botch jobs that can be ascribed directly to Asst. Manager McCann. That's Karma, Kramer.