Team Israel left Miami with an automatic entry into the next World Baseball Classic and with two victories, which participants say will help grow the sport in the Jewish state and might encourage more Jewish major leaguers to join the team next time.
“The hope is that more players become interested in playing for Israel that are eligible,” manager Brad Ausmus told reporters at a press conference. “I think that helps especially in a tournament like the WBC.”
Harrison Bader of the San Francisco Giants is a gold glove-winning outfielder who couldn’t play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic due to injury. He signed up for this year’s tournament.
“It’s important to represent my family,” he told JNS. “Anytime you get to be part of a baseball tournament, especially at this level in front of so many fans, I think you should take advantage of it.”
“It’s just one of the things I’ve always wanted to be a part of,” he said.
Team Israel exceeded expectations and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2017. It didn’t get out of the first round in both 2023 and 2026, though it doubled its win total this time around and played in stadiums before enthusiastic fans.
“The energy is phenomenal,” Ausmus told reporters. “I think the players love representing their heritage. I think what has happened since 2023 and even before, to some degree, is players that play for their country in the WBC relay the experience to other players, and now more and more want to join.”
Several Jewish ballplayers didn’t participate in the tournament, like New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried. Some played on Team USA, like Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman.
Team Israel went from 1-3 in 2023 to 2-2 this year, and being more competitive is a key to attracting more top players, members of the team said.
“Anytime we can show well and try to prove that we’re a competitive team, I think we’ll influence guys who are on the fence in deciding if they want to leave spring training and leave their clubs to come compete here,” said first baseman Matt Mervis (Washington Nationals), who had a key two-out, two-run double in Tuesday’s win over the Netherlands.
“I think anytime we prove that we can compete internationally and put up a good game against anybody is good for that,” he said.
‘Growing the game anywhere’
Pitcher Harrison Cohen (New York Yankees) said he remembered wanting to play on Team Israel when he was growing up.
“I think that knowing that there are hopefully people out there thinking the exact same thing, kids out there thinking the exact same thing and looking to us, it’s a very reassuring feeling and rewarding feeling,” said Cohen, who struck out five of the six batters he faced after Nicaragua had taken a 2-0 lead.
“You see this on the calendar every couple years, and you circle it when you’re a young kid,” said infielder Jake Gelof (Los Angeles Dodgers), whose brother Zack plays for the Athletics and was on Team Israel’s 2023 roster.
“I know my brother and I have circled this on our calendar when he was able to play in it, and now I’ve been able to play in it,” he said.
“It’s just always looking forward to growing the game anywhere, for us playing for Team Israel,” he said. “You see it with young kids from the Dominican and how much pride they have for representing their team. I think this is just a great opportunity to grow the game as a whole.”
Ausmus said that he couldn’t quantify what one more win will mean to recruitment going forward, but any little bit helps.
“I just think that every time an Israeli team wins a baseball game in a big tournament like this, it helps,” he said. “It’s incremental. It’s slow, but it helps. I think the people with the Israeli federation are in it for the long haul.”
It’s not just trying to get more star Jewish major leaguers on the team but also growing the game in Israel, getting more Israelis involved in playing baseball and filling future rosters with players like outfielder Assaf Lowengart, the first Israeli-born player to play professional baseball and only sabra on this year’s roster.
Lowengart told JNS that he saw himself as a baseball ambassador in his home country, “on the field, off the field, with the Jersey, without Jersey, always representing the country.”
“All models are important in life,” he said. “I hope that it makes it easier for the next guy up.”
The Israel-Dominican Republic game, played in what was early evening in Israel, drew lots of interest, Lowengart said.
“Israeli baseball players watched the game, and they DMed me, sent me a private message saying how much it means to them,” he told JNS. “So hopefully they push their limits as well and continue playing baseball as long as they can, like I’m doing.”
People in Israel also stayed up late to see their team defeat the Netherlands, Ausmus said. It started at 2 a.m. Israeli time.
“I received texts from people in Israel after the game, so they were up late watching it,” Ausmus said. “With every WBC round or tournament, more and more people in Israel actually are watching it.”
Ausmus said the long-term goal was to have a Team Israel with a roster full of Israeli natives.
“That the hope is as Israel plays in the WBC, more and more players that are eligible to play for them get involved,” Ausmus said. “That has happened, especially over the last couple years, and farther down the road, you actually hope it’s Israeli-born players rather than American players with Jewish heritage.”
The American-born players who are currently part of Team Israel can help with that.
“I think we’re trying to inspire kids in Israel to grow the game and become the next generation of Israeli baseball players,” Mervis said.
“I think that’s our platform. That’s why this tournament is so important,” he said. “Everyone represents their country, and there’s a huge sense of pride in inspiring the next generation. It’s a great opportunity. I think this tournament does a good job.”
