Behind the silver lining for blue-and-white baseball

• Published date: 24 September 2021
• Author: DANNY GROSSMAN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

On his flight home, Israel Manager Nate Fish Tweeted over his colorful handle @KingofJBaseball: "So proud of the boys. I don't think people realize how improbable this was."

Fish was referring to the fact that Israel had just come off a grueling summer in which it had prepared for and participated in the Olympics. However, even though Israel had been the only European team to earn a ticket to Tokyo, six of the 16 teams in the European tournament sported a better world ranking.

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More importantly, these other teams were rested, whereas many of Israel's players, including several marquee names, were unavailable due to injury or couldn't get out of professional commitments to make a second extended trip barely a month after leaving Japan.

As a result, Israel approached the current European Championship with only 17 players on its roster, as opposed to 24 that every other team fielded.

Rising to the occasion, 10 Sabras representing the best of Israel's homegrown talent stepped up to the plate, along with a cadre of Olim who have helped build the program over the years.

"This was a coming of age for Israeli baseball," said General Manager Peter Kurz. "We had built our national team from the top down, starting with our World Baseball Classic and Olympic squads. We brought Jewish-American ballplayers to play alongside our local players. They produced great results, which created an interest among Israeli youth. Now it's the players who grew up in our system, playing in our academy, who have proved that they're up to the challenge."

Catcher Tal Erel and third baseman Assaf Lowengart are among the young Israelis that make Kurz so optimistic. Erel provided stability behind the plate for a pitching staff that included teenager Ivri Margolin and 41-year-old Shlomo Lipetz.

Margolin had a no-hitter going until leaving in the fourth inning against Great Britain in the pivotal game that put Israel into the quarterfinals. Lipetz arrived in Turin as a roster replacement for David "DJ" Sharabi, who hadn't allowed a run while appearing in relief during each of Israel's first three games. Lipetz is revered as an icon of Israeli baseball, having pitched for national teams at all levels since the age of 9. Starting the semifinal game against Italy, he overcame a rocky beginning to shut down the murderous Italian line-up, propelling Israel into...