Israel Baseball’s 'Field of Dreams' ahead of Summer Olympics
After shockingly qualifying for the Olympics, blue-and-white is one of just six teams who will compete in Tokyo, making a miraculous medal well within reach.
By DANNY GROSSMANIsrael Baseball’s 'Field of Dreams' ahead of summer Olympics.(photo credit: ISRAEL BASEBALL ASSOCIATION)“We can do this!” Team Israel general manager Peter Kurz confidently told Israel President Reuven Rivlin as members of his Tokyo-bound squad joined the rest of Israel’s Olympic delegation to receive a Presidential send off.
Catcher Tal Erel flashed his good-natured smile during an interview with local Israeli press and said, “The next time you see us, we’ll hopefully have something to show.”
Both Kurz and Erel were referring to the same goal: capturing Israel’s first-ever Olympic medal in a team sport.
Israel’s baseball team hit the road in early July for a two-week tune-up in the USA, where it trained daily and was slated to play nine exhibition games. The barnstorming tour allowed the Israeli nine to face live competition for the first time since clinching its Olympic berth.
The first exhibition game, on Sunday July 11, took place at the New York Mets’ minor league stadium at Coney Island, fittingly named Maimonides Park. So conjuring up the spirit of the original Maimonides, here is a “Guide to the Perplexed” for fans and followers to learn what to expect as the blue-and-white prepares to battle for a medal when the Olympics kick off.Israeli baseball pitcher Zack Weiss. (Israel Baseball Association)
How many teams will play in Japan and how did Israel qualify?
Because baseball teams have twice as many roster players as other leading ball sports (e.g. basketball), the Tokyo competition is limited to a handful of squads. Israel became the first of only six teams to secure an Olympic berth when it clawed its way to the top, playing in four consecutive tournaments and shocking the baseball world by winning the Europe/Africa Qualifier in Italy in September 2019. In Japan, these six teams will participate in an advanced playoff process that quickly leads to the medal round.
How will the baseball competition work in Tokyo?
The baseball competition begins with a Group Stage: the six teams are divided into two groups of three wherein each team plays two games to determine its ranking for the next “knockout” stage. Group assignment was determined according to the latest world ranking (WR). Thus, Group A includes host and World No. 1 Japan; Mexico (WR 5); and the Dominican Republic (WR 7), which was the last team to qualify, just last month.
Israel (WR 24) begins its medal quest in group B, which includes Korea (WR 3 and the 2008 defending Olympic gold medalist) and the USA (WR 4), which also only recently punched its Olympic ticket. Therefore, the only two games that are set are these first two Group Stage matches. The knockout stage will reduce the pack to four teams that will compete for medals on August 7, the day before the closing ceremony.
When will Israel play and what are our chances?
Israel opens its Olympic campaign on Thursday, July 29 at 1 p.m. in Israel (7 p.m. local time in Japan) against Korea. Twenty-four hours later (July 30 at 1 p.m. in Israel), the boys in blue-and-white take on the USA.
How will it go? As Yogi Berra liked to say, “Predictions are hard to make…especially about the future.”
Sports truisms have a way of producing historical facts. As the 1969 Mets, Jets and Knicks all proved: “games are won on the field, not on paper.”
A look at Israeli-Korean baseball history (Seoul search?) is more revealing and no less optimistic. Just four years ago at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, little Israel stunned the Koreans, beating them 2-1 on their home turf. Israel’s MLB veteran right-hander Josh Zeid closed three innings of scoreless relief by striking out Korean slugger Dae-Ho Lee – who hit 14 homers for the Mariners the next season.
Israel, which had entered that 2017 WBC tournament with ESPN comparing it to the Jamaican bobsled team, finished sixth overall and was crowned as baseball’s Cinderella Team. Years later, during his last sit-down with The Jerusalem Post in Tel Aviv, Zeid recalled how an official from the Baseball Hall of Fame approached him after the final out requesting Zeid’s hat, to be displayed in Cooperstown to memorialize the “greatest upset in the history of international baseball.”
Several key players are back from the WBC Cinderella team, this time having made Aliyah to allow them to represent Israel. They include tournament MVP catcher Ryan Lavarnway; Scotty Burcham, whose 10th-inning, game-winning RBI single sank Korea; and former Mets switch – hitting infielder Ty Kelly who called that win “the most stressful game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Following Israel’s opener against Korea, the next day’s game against the USA will be a very tall order but not an impossible challenge. Despite winning the 2017 WBC, the USA has a mixed record in Olympic competition because it can’t field current MLB players. The Americans still have tremendous talent, but so does Israel.
GM Kurz has inspired players to make Aliyah and buy into his vision of building baseball in Israel. 2019 ace Joey Wagman and A’s lefty Jeremy Bleich are part of a staff that has brought them this far and are keen on keeping helping Kurz and manager Eric Holtz fulfill their shared dream.
As former Reds Pitcher Jon Moscot Tweeted, “We’re going to surprise a lot of people.”
The final piece of Israel’s Olympic puzzle fell into place when four-time MLB All-Star Ian Kinsler made Aliyah last March. Ian and wife Tess left their kids at home and arrived just four hours before COVID-19 closed the airport.
Kinsler embraced his heritage with the same serious approach that made him a quiet leader of so many great teams. He’s dead set on winning a medal as a stepping-stone toward inspiring Israeli youth. In fact, he had to be torn away from a meeting with kids to make his flight home. This brings us back to the upcoming game against Team USA. American manager Jerry Weinstein (who managed Team Israel in 2017!) will be missing Team USA’s star hitter who opened the 2017 championship game with a two-run blast that powered it to victory – none other than Israeli Ian Kinsler!
Why was Aliyah so important?Israel Baseball’s 'Field of Dreams' ahead of summer Olympics. (Israel Baseball Association)
While the WBC allows players who are eligible for citizenship to represent their country, Olympics rules clearly require that countries field only players who are bona fide citizens. Kurz and his colleagues have assembled an amazing group of professionals to bolster a roster of native Israelis like Erel, veteran Shlomo Lipetz, Moshav Timurim’s Assaf Lowengart and Kibbutznik Alon Leichman. As Kinsler said, “I’m looking forward to the excitement of the Olympics and competing with a group of people that understand the impact we can make in Israel.” Israeli baseball pitcher Shlomo Lipetz. (Israel Baseball Association)
The players have become tied to their teammates and their new homeland. In Jerusalem, they gained personal inspiration at the Kotel and City of David and spent intense moments at Yad Vashem. Several players like MLB slugger Danny Valencia have openly shown their emotions during their visits. Valencia preferred to let his bat do the talking, busting six home runs with 16 RBIs in the 12 games that propelled Israel to the games in Tokyo.
“We’re one people,” said Kurz, “and a 12-year-old in Florida, Givataim or Kfar Manda today can watch us earn a medal and dream of playing for Team Israel in Dodger Stadium at the 2028 LA Games.”
How have the players managed during the year-long Olympic postponement?
The players and their families have shown tremendous determination, resilience and creativity in adapting to the new situation.
After making Aliyah, Lavarnway, who has played in parts of 10 Major League Baseball seasons, had the distinction of becoming the first Israeli citizen to play in the MLB last year, collecting hits in a stint with the Marlins while impressively gunning down a runner with his cannon-like arm. The Yale graduate, one of two Team Israel players to own a Red Sox World Series ring, shared tips with thousands of young catchers who watched his YouTube videos.
Blake Gailen who hit .400 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 19 games for Team Israel over four tournaments in 2019, travelled hallway across the globe to stay in baseball shape, which he did while leading the Australian League in home runs.
After Team Israel’s recent training camp in Arizona, several players signed up with Independent league ball clubs. Californian Zach Penprase, who regularly shares his mind-mentoring techniques with teammates, drove cross country (with Sabra-born Lowengart) to play for a former coach who offered him a chance to play daily on the East Coast.Israeli baseball player tour Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market. (Israel Baseball Association)
What’s the bottom line?
The math is simple: six teams and three medals.
“I love our chances,” says Kurz.
According to Holtz, Team Israel’s “Old School” manager, games are played one pitch, one at-bat, and one inning at a time. Holtz likes being the underdog. His dream is to see Israel not only win in Japan, but to use its hard-fought achievements to grow the sport in Israel and quickly double and then triple the number of participants (currently around 1,000 from ages 6 to 50) while the JNF continues to build new fields so “they will come.”
Lt. Colonel (Reserve) Danny Grossman flew fighters in the US and Israeli Air Forces and has served as the Israeli Director of the American Jewish Congress and an Adviser for Team Israel. He will cover the Tokyo Games as the Jerusalem Post Olympic correspondent.
