For Israel, the result wasn’t ideal, but it nearly didn’t matter. Jacob Steinmetz owns this evening.
Steinmetz, a 19-year-old native of Woodmere, New York, pitched for Israel against the Dominican Republic on Tuesday in a World Baseball Classic loss of 10-0. He is the first Orthodox Jew to be selected for Major League Baseball.
Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Rafael Devers, and other major league greats are included in the Dominican lineup.
When the game began, only 25.1 innings of Steinmetz’s professional baseball experience had been in the Arizona Complex League with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He started the fourth-youngest WBC game as a player.
You’d have no idea. The six-time All-Star Machado and the 2022 World Series MVP Jeremy Pea were among the three players that Steinmetz struck out.
He faced the Dominicans’ whole lineup and allowed two hits and one run throughout two innings and a third.
Steinmetz described the game as “amazing” following it. “Walking out here in front of a sold-out stadium, with all the Dominican and Israel fans, was something I’ll never forget.”
Steinmetz claimed to have had anxiousness during his warm-up and entrance into the field. It was a typical baseball game after he took the mound, though.
Jewish baseball fans were enthralled by chance to watch the Orthodox prospect on prime-time television as Steinmetz’s performance erupted on Twitter.
The Israel Baseball Twitter account churned post after post about the young pitcher.
Simmy Cohen, an Orthodox sports enthusiast from New Jersey, stated that it was “simply extremely weird” to see a young person from our faith pitching to athletes of that caliber on such a large stage. ”
I believe many spectators were more anxious than he was. Yet he maintained his poise and put up an excellent performance. I was astonished beyond belief.
Steinmetz expressed his gratitude for the support.
Knowing that there will always be people behind him was great, he remarked.
Ian Kinsler, the manager of Israel, stated that Steinmetz needed the start to boost his confidence.
You could see his talent tonight, Kinsler said. It’s a positive experience for him because it’s the loudest environment he will ever participate in.
Other than that, Israel had a bland night on Tuesday. Israel was limited to only one hit the day after going without a hit and losing in seven innings in a match that was called early by the WBC mercy rule. Israeli batters were unsuccessful ten times.
Tomorrow at noon, Venezuela will play Israel. ET’s final WBC contest, with Robert Stock manning the helm.
Israel officially finished above last place in Pool D after Nicaragua’s loss earlier on Tuesday.
As a result, it won’t advance in this year’s competition but will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Kinsler remarked, “That’s significant for the organization.
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