America’s favorite pastime found an enthusiastic audience in Israel last Sunday. The Israel Baseball League’s opening day was a success, with an estimated 3,112 fans showing up to watch the Modi’in Miracle (managed by former New York Mets player Art Shamsky) take on the Petach Tikva Pioneers at Yarkon Sports Complex in Petach Tikva. Modi’in Miracle hitters were on the offensive, and the team claimed a 9-1 victory over the Pioneers.

But despite the full stands, Ha’aretz and other publications have reported skepticism about the IBL’s long-term popularity. In a country where fast-moving spectacles like soccer and basketball dominate the sports pages, baseball might seem tedious and boring.

The IBL is the country’s first-ever professional baseball league, and the 120 players come from around the globe; only 20 are from Israel. Each of the league’s six teams will play 45 regular games. There is an All-Star game midseason and a final championship game at the end of the season.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In other baseball news, Mets right fielder Shawn Green officially announced his pledge, to UJA-Federation of New York, of $180 for each run batted in. This is good news for UJA. With a respectable .290 batting average and 27 RBIs this week, it’s fairly certain that the slugger will bring home many more runs this season.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount