Jacob Erlbaum
Israel Editor
Israel’s Baseball Players Cheer In The Dugout During A Game At The Tokyo Olympics
Israel’s Baseball Team After Qualifying For The Olympics
For the first time, Israel’s baseball team, led by former MLB All-Star Ian Kinsler, reached the Olympics. This past summer, the Tokyo Olympics represented the end of a long journey to the Olympics for the Israeli team. At the Olympics, Israel lost its two games in group play but went on to win its first game against Mexico in bracket play. The victory not only symbolized Israel’s first win at the Olympics in baseball but also showed the success of the development of the sport in Israel. After beating Mexico, Israel was defeated twice. The first loss came by Korea and the second by the Dominican Republic in a close, 7-6 defeat. While Israel was defeated, the Dominican Republic is a powerhouse within the international baseball realm and a loss of 7-6 is nothing too great for an up and coming team like Israel. The Israelis even led 6-5 late in the game but could not hang on to defeat the Dominicans.
While their run ended in defeat, reaching the Olympics was a large victory in itself. Defeating Mexico was the high point of Israel’s long journey to the Olympics. As the sport of baseball continues to grow in Israel, the hope is for more Olympic qualifications and even more success at the Olympics.
Photo Sources: The Forward, AP News
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