Defying expectations, Israel exits World Baseball Classic by clinching spot in 2030

JTA — Israel’s failure to advance to the single-elimination stage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic has done little to dampen excitement for the team, which exceeded expectations by winning two games and finishing in third place in its first-round pool in Miami.

Israel capped its tournament with a 6-2 win over the Netherlands on Tuesday at LoanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins. Israel had also beaten Nicaragua 5-0 on Sunday to ensure a better-than-last-place finish in Pool D, securing a spot in the 2030 tournament.

The Israeli team was eliminated from advancing to the second round of the tournament after its two losses to baseball powerhouses the Dominican Republic (10-1) on Monday and Venezuela (11-3) on Saturday.

The team exceeded expectations, however, as sports analysts had predicted before the series that Team Israel, ranked 19th out of 20 teams in the 2026 tournament, was unlikely to win more than one game.

“Very positive week overall. Big step forward from 2023,” Nate Fish, the CEO of Israel Baseball Americas and a former player and coach for Israel, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“It is hard to advance when you’re in a bracket with Venezuela and [the Dominican Republic], but winning two games at the WBC is very impressive.”

Israel is now 7-7 all-time in three WBC appearances. The team burst onto the scene in 2017 with a shocking Cinderella run that featured four straight wins to advance to the second round. In 2023, Israel went 1-3.

Team Israel is composed of players who are eligible for citizenship in Israel, though few have deep relationships with the country, where baseball is still a fledgling sport.

“We have consistently proven we can construct teams that can compete with the best in the world,” Fish said. “Israel Baseball is hugely grateful to the WBC and our entire staff and roster. It was an incredible experience.”

Manager Brad Ausmus, the New York Yankees’ bench coach, told MLB.com that the team felt the support from fans throughout the tournament.

“We see everything up on the scoreboard — there are people wearing their Israeli T-shirts or holding the Israeli flag,” Ausmus said.

“The hope is more players become interested in playing for Israel… I just think every time an Israeli team wins a baseball game in a big tournament like this, it helps,” he added.

In Israel’s win over Nicaragua — its first shutout win in WBC history — Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer threw 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts, and was followed by a string of four relievers who did not allow a hit for the remainder of the game.

The win represented a deja vu moment for Israel, which had also beaten Nicaragua, with Kremer on the mound, in the 2023 tournament, qualifying it for the current tourney.

“It’s huge not to have to go through qualifying again,” Kremer said after Sunday’s win. “For not only us as a team, but the country as a whole that I’m more than proud to represent.”

Had it failed to win any games or finished in last place, which analysts saw as a real possibility given the level of talent in Group D, Israel would have been demoted. That would have meant needing to play its way back into the next Classic via a series of qualifying tournaments.

Even after beating Nicaragua, few expected Israel to win another game.

The Netherlands team lacks the star power of the Venezuelan and Dominican teams, but still features a number of veteran MLB players. It had made it to the semifinals in 2013 and 2017.

But on Tuesday, Israel came out on top — thanks, again, to strong pitching.

Harrison Cohen, a highly touted prospect in the Yankees system, tossed two perfect innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced.

“Playing for Team Israel has always been a dream,” Cohen told MLB.com.

“To be able to participate in the WBC, wear ‘Israel’ across my chest, as not only just a token of where you’ve gotten to in your career, but as a token of how I was brought up, how I was raised, my parents, my family, my heritage,” he said.

At the plate, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Jake Gelof drove in three runs, while St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Noah Mendlinger capped off a strong WBC with another hit, two runs scored and two walks. Mendlinger finished the tournament with a team-best .455 batting average.

“You see this on the calendar every couple of years, and you circle it,” said Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Jake Gelof, who drove in three runs against the Netherlands.

“I know my brother and I circled this on our calendar,” Gelof said of his older brother Zack, who played for Israel in 2023. “He was able to play in it, and now I’ve been able to play with it. We’re always looking forward to growing the game anywhere where we play for Team Israel.”

Baseball still hasn’t caught on with most Israelis. The Israel Association of Baseball, which oversees the sport’s development in Israel, counts only about 500 players of different ages around the country, spread across teams in 11 cities.

But those involved with the sport in Israel say the team’s success on the world stage can be a major factor in growing it at home, even if most players are not Israeli.

“Israel’s team in the World Baseball Classic is the largest platform we have for sports diplomacy in America,” said Israel Association of Baseball head Ari Veron ahead of the tournament. “This really is a chance to unite and bond the entire Israel- and baseball-loving community.”

Team Israel’s success on the world stage benefits immensely from a quirk in the WBC’s rules of eligibility, which allow players to represent a country if they are eligible for citizenship there, regardless of whether they are actually citizens.

This means anyone who is Jewish or who has a Jewish parent or grandparent can play for Israel in the tournament, thanks to the country’s Law of Return.

While the fanbase for baseball in Israel is small, it does not lack in enthusiasm.

In each of Israel’s three WBC appearances, the opportunity to watch a squad of mostly American Jewish ballplayers with “Israel” on their jerseys brought out an outpouring of Jewish pride in the stadium as well as among fans watching from afar.

Max Mannis, an Orthodox Jewish content creator for Jomboy Media, was among the fans who made the trip to attend Israel’s games.

ISRAEL WINS!!!!!

Finishing 2-2 in Pool D is undeniably a huge success for them in this WBC. And man, what an absolute blast to attend. Jewish pride as far as the eye can see. One I’ll remember as long as I live.

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— Max Mannis (@MaxMannis) March 11, 2026

“Finishing 2-2 in Pool D is undeniably a huge success for them in this WBC,” Mannis tweeted after Tuesday’s win.

“And man, what an absolute blast to attend. Jewish pride as far as the eye can see. One I’ll remember as long as I live,” he wrote.

Zev Stub and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.