Team Israel kept its chances alive to advance in the World Baseball Classic with a 5-0 victory over Nicaragua in Miami on Sunday, setting up a Monday afternoon clash against the pool favorite, the Dominican Republic, which will all but determine whether the Jewish squad will move on to the second round.
Israel’s win guarantees it a spot in the next World Baseball Classic and improves its record to 1-1, behind both the Venezuelan and Dominican teams, which are both 2-0. The Netherlands is 1-2, and Nicaragua dropped with the loss to 0-3.
“The DR is one of the best teams in the tournament. No question,” Team Israel manager Brad Ausmus said at the post-game press conference. “But we’re going to go out there. Until they beat us in nine innings or however long it takes, we have a chance to win, and we’re going to go out there with that attitude.”
Should Israel defeat the No. 2-ranked Dominican Republic, the two teams would be tied at 2-1. The Dominican Republic still has to play Venezuela. In 2017, Team Israel beat the third, fourth and fifth seeds.
“It’s a one-game series, and you never know,” said shortstop Cole Carrigg (Colorado Rockies), who had two hits and two stolen bases on Sunday.
The Israeli offense, which slumbered during most of the Venezuela game, came alive against Nicaragua.
Second baseman Noah Mendlinger (St. Louis Cardinals) had three hits and a walk. First baseman Spencer Horwitz (Pittsburgh Pirates) and right fielder RJ Schreck (Toronto Blue Jays) each reached base three times. Horwitz hit a single and was hit twice by pitches, and Schreck had three walks.
In game one, Ausmus bypassed his most experienced pitcher, Dean Kremer (Baltimore Orioles), as a hedge against going down 0-2, which would almost certainly mean being eliminated from the tournament.
The strategy worked at the beginning. While Venezuela scored four runs in the first inning against Ben Simon (New York Mets) on Saturday, Kremer retired the first seven batters in order and 12 of 13 on Sunday.
It was Team Israel that first broke through against Nicaragua pitcher Carlos Rodriguez (Milwaukee Brewers) in the second inning. A single and two stolen bases by Carrigg and a walk to Jake Geloff (Los Angeles Dodgers) preceded Mendlinger’s run-scoring single.
It was Israel’s first lead of the World Baseball Classic, and the team never lost it.
In the top of the fifth, a lead-off single by third baseman Mark Vientos (New York Mets) was followed by a walk to designated hitter Omar Mendoza. Kremer struck out the next batter before Josh Mallitz (San Diego Padres) came in from the bullpen.
Mallitz walked catcher Melvin Novoa and went 3-0 on shortstop Freddy Zamora (Milwaukee Brewers) before getting him to ground out into an inning-ending double play and quieting a loud, raucous crowd.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever yelled like that before,” Kremer told reporters after the game. “I don’t usually get super hyped, but that one was different.”
Dilmer Mejia replaced Rodriguez on the mound for Nicaragua, and singles by Mendlinger, Horwitz, and center fielder Harrison Bader (San Francisco Giants) doubled Israel’s lead.
Schreck then walked to load the bases with one out, but while Nicaragua squandered an identical scoring chance, Israel did not. New pitcher JC Ramirez quickly gave up a two-run single to left fielder Zach Levenson (Cardinals) and a run-scoring single to Carrigg. In all, nine men batted, and four scored.
Israel then coasted to victory.
“When a tournament is set up like this where you play four teams one time each, every loss feels like a stab to the heart,” Ausmus said. “You’ve got to enjoy every win, as well.”
