In its third game of the World Baseball Classic, Team Israel has lost 10-1 to a Dominican Republic team with far greater star power. The loss eliminates Israel from advancing to the next round of play in the global baseball tournament.
The team, comprising primarily Jewish American baseball players, now has a 1-2 record in the four-game first round. For its final game, it will play the Netherlands tomorrow, which has also gone 1-2.
The Dominican Republic took a decisive 5-0 lead in the second inning when Fernando Tatis hit a grand slam off Israel’s pitcher Ryan Prager. The team, which is filled with Major League Baseball stars, scored again in the 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th innings, and clinched a spot in the WBC quarterfinals.
Spencer Horwitz scored Israel’s only run with a fourth-inning homer. Israel had only one other hit during the game, by Noah Mendlinger.
Sports analysts had predicted before the series that Team Israel was unlikely to win more than one game.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 9, 2026
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