Back in July 2021 Orthodox Jew Jacob Steinmetz was drafted to Major League Baseball by the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Nearly 3 years ago construction of the Bet Shemesh baseball field was inaugurated with a ceremony that included some celebrity guests - some Jewish MLB baseball players.

A new ERA of Baseball in Beit Shemesh and Baseball in Israel has begun today!!! The building of Beit Shemesh Baseball stadium, and what will likely become the very center of Israel Baseball is finally underway. Step one- clean up the area so the construction can begin. Thank you to @israel_baseball and the JNF @jnfusa for making today possible!!!

We Jews are used to saying Next Year in Jerusalem, but today the announcer at the Olympics qualifier game between Team Israel and Team South Africa said "Next Year in Tokyo" after Israel handily beat the South African team 11-1 to qualify for the Olympics in 2020.

this si the first time in 44 years Israel has qualified for a team sport in the Olympics. In the past 44 years (since 1976 when the Israeli football/soccer team qualified) only individual Israelis have qualified to compete, but not any Israeli teams.

good luck Team Israel

and now if Beatie Deutsch finishes her qualifications and gets to represent Israel in the Olympic marathon of Tokyo 2020, she'll have a minyan to bring along with her!


you can watch the game here:

will we one day see Israeli teams, or an Israeli National Team, play baseball against Palestinian teams and a Palestinian National Team? Peace would probably have to come first, and we know how likely that is...

Players representing Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic tournament that opened today with a 2-1 Team Israel victory over Korea remove their caps and don yarmulkas for the rendition of Hatikvah..

this Friday, January 6, will be the ceremony inaugurating the construction of the new Bet Shemesh baseball field.

The ceremony will include a number of MLB baseball players, including Danny Valencia, Sam Fuld, Ty Kelly, Ike Davis, Ryan Lavarnway, Josh Zeid, Cody Decker, Jon Moscot, Corey Baker, Jeremy Bleich and Gabe Kapler.

they will also be coming to Bet Shemesh to inaugurate the construction of the new baseball field...

the Israel team goes to Soul (Seoul, Soul, potato, potahto).. soul is a good thing to have, all the time but especially right before Rosh Hashana...

President Peres and Ambassador Shapiro promoting Israeli Baseball with Brad Ausmus 

I am most surprised by the fact that Ambassador Shapiro is not embarrassed to be seen in public wearing a Chicago Cubs hat.... :-)





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Qualifier European Championship 2011 Israel Baseball on Sports News

I just came across this book, Pitching in the Promised Land: A Story of the First and Only Season in the Israel Baseball League, and it looks very interesting.





The league, when it existed, was a lot of fun, and it is really a shame it was not successful enough to continue. I am looking forward to getting the book and reading an insiders version of what went down.

According to the Israel Association of Baseball, Israel has been invited to the 16-team qualifying round for the  2013 World Baseball Classic.

This is the statement:

Israel has been invited to participate in a new 16-team Qualifying Round for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
The invitation comes from WBCI (World Baseball Classic, Inc.). Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association together created the event, first held in 2006. This will be the third Classic, to be played in March, 2013. Japan has won the first two.
The Qualifying Round will take place in the Fall of 2012, and will feature a six-game modified double-elimination format.
“We are pleased to extend an invitation to Israel to participate in the Qualifying Round of the World Baseball Classic, said Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “The skill level and passion for the game in Israel is remarkable and we know their participation will be a wonderful addition to the tournament.”
“It’s an honor to recognize Israel’s standing among baseball-playing nations with this invitation to compete on a global stage,” said Major League Baseball Player’s Association Executive Director Michael Weiner. “We’re confident Israel’s participation in the World Baseball Classic Qualifying Round will help increase national and worldwide interest in this great sport.”
The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament that features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories.
The Israel Association of Baseball (IAB), will take charge of the player selection process, which, in accordance with World Baseball Classic rules, permits non-Israeli citizens of Jewish heritage to play for Israel. The balance of the team is expected to be made up of the top players from the Israel National team.

“We are very grateful to MLB and the MLBPA for allowing Israel to participate in prestigious tournament,” said Haim Katz, President of the IAB. “It is a tribute to our efforts and progress in promoting the great game of baseball in Israel. Participation in the World Baseball Classic is particularly exciting to us as it enables us to create a team of not just Israeli citizens but of all those of Jewish heritage. We look at this mission as a partnership between the North American Jewish community and Israel and as a vehicle to strengthen the ties between us.”
The IAB is the local Federation body and over 2,000 youth and adults play baseball today in Israel. The sport has expanded in Israel over the last few years, spearheaded by the professional baseball league that played three years ago, and continuing with the European Championship Qualifiers that will be held from July 26-30 in Israel. “Team Israel’s participation in the World Baseball Classic is a further imprint of the growth and expansion of the sport in Israel and Europe,” added Katz. “We are proud to field a team for this World Baseball Classic and will make every effort to reach the finals.”
WBCI determined the 12 new teams for the Qualifying Round based on criteria established to create the most competitive international baseball event in the world. Some of the key factors involved in team evaluation and selection included: strength of native player base, number of professional players, IBAF international rankings, viability of domestic baseball programs, participant’s impact on baseball development in country/territory and diverse global representation. Included in the Qualifying Round are four of 2009’s 16 teams that failed to win a game.=Automatically qualifying for the 2013 World Baseball Classic are Australia, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, United States and Venezuela.
In addition to Israel, the other teams invited to the Qualifying Round include Brazil, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, Spain and Thailand.
The IAB has both adult and youth amateur national teams who compete in international competitions. The adult national team coached by Pat Doyle, current head of the MLB envoy program and former baseball coach at San Joaquin Delta College, competes within the framework of CEB- Confederation of European Baseball and will be participating in the European Qualifying Championship to be hosted in Israel July 26-29. Israel participated in the previous qualifying championship held in 2008 in Croatia and finished in third place. In 2004 at the qualifying tournament in Regensberg Germany, the team finished fifth of nine teams.

Jerry Weinstein, a long-time college coach and minor league manager (currently managing the Colorado Rockies’ Single-A farm club in Modesto, CA., is an advisor.
Players wishing to be considered for the team, should contact Haim Katz at isbaseba@017.net.il. The IAB website is www.baseball.org.il.