Team Israel hitter Garrett Stubbs right before he swings for a 3-1 victory for his team against Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic on March 12, 2023. Photo: Screenshot
Team Israel got off to a strong start in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) with a 3-1 win over Nicaragua on Sunday at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
In the Pool D matchup, Israel went through seven innings without scoring while facing four Nicaraguan pitchers before the odds turned in their favor during the eighth inning, when they went up against Nicaragua’s pitcher and former Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga. Team Israel hitter Spencer Horwitz tied the game 1-1 with a one-out RBI single and soon after Garrett Stubbs put the Israeli team in the lead with a two-run double off Loáisiga.
“He’s obviously a big league pitcher and he’s been in big situations before and he’s an unbelievable reliever,” Stubbs said about Loáisiga, according to MLB.com. “But in this situation, I just got a good pitch to hit and capitalized on the opportunity.”
When asked how Team Israel managed to succeed against Nicaragua’s star pitcher, manager Ian Kinsler joked, “I have no idea what happened. That’s what I expect from my team, to play all 27 outs and fight until the end. Today we were lucky enough to be on the right side.”
Team Israel is expected to face Puerto Rico on Monday night followed by the Dominican Republic on Tuesday and Venezuela on Wednesday.
“We have just as good of a shot as anybody,” Kinsler added. “We’re going to give it our best shot and try to make things interesting in Pool D.”
During the 2017 WBC, Israel won its first four games and made it to the second round. The team’s roster this year for the WBC features several current and former MLB players including San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, former Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson and Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer.
Some of the athletes on the team this year also created customized cleats to wear on the field. Pederson will sport silver Nike cleats that feature blue Stars of David while Alex Katz, a pitcher for Israel at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and at this year’s WBC, will don cleats that include an image of Mensch on a Bench, the mascot of the Israeli baseball team.
Watch a recap of Israel vs Nicaragua in the 2023 World Baseball Classic below.
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