He Led Israel’s Baseball Team To Unforgettable Upset Victories

March Madness, the NCAA college basketball tournament, is known for heroic underdogs pulling off shocking upsets. But for Jewish fans of the national pastime, the World Baseball Classic this past March featured madness on a whole new level, thanks to the exploits of Team Israel and its manager, Jerry Weinstein.

Weinstein, a 73-year-old baseball lifer who also manages the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, ran a team almost solely comprising American Jewish minor leaguers. Acknowledging that baseball is not exactly Israel’s most popular sport, he told reporters, “I think that by playing in this [tournament] and doing well that we enlighten people’s awareness.”

Israel, ranked 41st in the world, pulled off a string of victories against some of the best teams on earth, including South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Cuba.

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)

“It feels like the World Series, but only bigger,” Weinstein said.

Although their Cinderella run came to an end with a loss to Japan, Weinstein and the Team Israel athletes not only impressed scouts looking for call-ups, but also strengthened their Jewish identities.

“It’s so special for all the players,” pitcher Shlomo Lipetz told ABC News. “They feel this kind of connection being Jewish, this connection of playing for Israel.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount