Israel swings for a win in World Baseball Classic: After loss to Venezuela & defeat of Nicaragua, Israeli team faces Dominican Republic

Team Israel finds itself in a tight spot as it tries to keep its dream alive in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) games. 

The team, comprised mostly of American Jewish players, lost its first game to Venezuela on Sunday. It struggled from the start of that game, when Venezuelan pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus sent the first 14 batters back to the bench with no hits. 

Team Israel scored its first run in the 5th inning, when Philadelphia Phillies player Garrett Stubbs hit a triple. Shortly after that, Washington Nationals player Matt Mervis hit a single, allowing Stubbs to make it home. 

The team is considered an underdog in the WBC, which is dominated by teams from countries with established baseball culture and teams, including the United States and many Latin American countries. 

Only a few of the players on the team are actually Israeli citizens, such as Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer, who led the team to a 5-0 victory over Nicaragua later on Sunday, helping the team overcome the sting of its 3-11 loss to Venezuela. 

In the game against Nicaragua, Kremer shut down the first seven batters from the Nicaraguan side and kept most of the game hitless for the Central American team, as he retired 12 of the first 13 batters. Team Israel had its biggest break in the 5th inning, when it brought in four of its five runs.

The win guaranteed Team Israel an appearance at the next World Baseball Classic in four years. The team is hoping to avoid a repeat of its 2023 WBC appearance, when it was placed in a pool largely comprising Major League Baseball All-Star players.

The team scored just one run in the entire tournament, losing to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela by a combined score of 25-1.

On Monday, Team Israel faces its biggest challenge, squaring off against No. 2-ranked Dominican Republic. It is not expected to win against the heavyweight team, but could face better odds against the Netherlands late Monday evening. 

At the time of publication, Israel was losing to the Dominican Republic 6-1.