Jacob Gurvis
Israel will not advance to the single-elimination stage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but the team surpassed expectations by winning two games and finishing in third place in its opening-round pool in Miami.
Israel capped its tournament with a 6-2 win over the Netherlands Tuesday at loanDepot park, the home of the Miami Marlins. Israel had beaten Nicaragua, 5-0, on Sunday to ensure a better-than-last-place finish in Pool D, securing a spot in the 2030 tournament. Israel’s two losses came against powerhouses Venezuela (11-3) and the Dominican Republic (10-1).
“Very positive week overall. Big step forward from 2023,” Nate Fish, the CEO of Israel Baseball Americas and a former Israel player and coach, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “It is hard to advance when you’re in a bracket with Venezuela and [the Dominican Republic] but winning two games at the WBC is very impressive.”
Israel is now 7-7 all-time in three WBC appearances. The team burst onto the scene in 2017 with a shocking Cinderella run that featured four straight wins to advance to the second round. In 2023, Israel went 1-3.
Team Israel is constructed of players who are eligible for citizenship in Israel though few have extensive relationships to the country, where baseball is still a fledgling sport.
“We have consistently proven we can construct teams that can compete with the best in the world,” Fish said. “Israel Baseball is hugely grateful to the WBC and our entire staff and roster. It was an incredible experience.”
Manager Brad Ausmus, the New York Yankees’ bench coach, told MLB.com that the team felt the support from fans throughout the tournament.
“We see everything up on the scoreboard — there are people wearing their Israeli T-shirts or holding the Israeli flag,” Ausmus said. “The hope is more players become interested in playing for Israel … I just think every time an Israeli team wins a baseball game in a big tournament like this, it helps.”
In Israel’s win over Nicaragua — its first shutout win in WBC history — Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer threw 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts, and was followed by a string of four relievers who did not allow a hit for the remainder of the game.
The win represented a deja vu moment for Israel, which had also beaten Nicaragua, with Kremer on the mound, in the 2023 tournament.
“It’s huge not to have to go through qualifying again,” Kremer said after Sunday’s win. “For not only us as a team, but the country as a whole that I’m more than proud to represent.”
And like last time, few expected Israel to win another game. The Netherlands team lacks the star power of the Venezuelan and Dominican teams, but still features a number of veteran MLB players. It had made it to the semifinals in 2013 and 2017.
But on Tuesday, Israel came out on top — thanks, again, to strong pitching.
Harrison Cohen, a highly touted prospect in the Yankees system, tossed two perfect innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced.
“Playing for Team Israel has always been a dream,” Cohen told MLB.com. “To be able to participate in the WBC, wear ‘Israel’ across my chest, as not only just a token of where you’ve gotten to in your career, but as a token of how I was brought up, how I was raised, my parents, my family, my heritage.”
At the plate, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Jake Gelof drove in three runs, while St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Noah Mendlinger capped off a strong WBC with another hit, two runs scored and two walks. Mendlinger finished the tournament with a team-best .455 batting average.
“You see this on the calendar every couple of years, and you circle it,” said Gelof, whose older brother Zack played for Israel in 2023. “I know my brother and I circled this on our calendar. He was able to play in it, and now I’ve been able to play in it. We’re always looking forward to growing the game anywhere where we play for Team Israel.”
In each of Israel’s three WBC appearances, the opportunity to watch a squad of mostly American Jewish ballplayers with “Israel” on their jerseys brought out a plethora of Jewish pride at the stadium and for fans watching from afar.
Max Mannis, an Orthodox Jewish content creator for Jomboy Media, was among the fans who made the trip to attend Israel’s games.
“Finishing 2-2 in Pool D is undeniably a huge success for them in this WBC,” Mannis tweeted after Tuesday’s win. “And man, what an absolute blast to attend. Jewish pride as far as the eye can see. One I’ll remember as long as I live.”
