The Jewish Sport Report: How playing for Team Israel changed Garrett Stubbs’ relationship with the country he still hopes to visit
This week saw the first-ever grand slam hit by a Jewish batter off a Jewish pitcher
Garrett Stubbs, Ryan Lavarnway and Noah Mendlinger are playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. (Courtesy)
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Hi there! It’s been quite the week in the Jewish baseball world.
On Sunday, Zack Gelof and Garrett Stubbs made history of sorts, when Gelof hit a grand slam off Stubbs in the ninth inning of the Oakland Athletics’ 18-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. According to the Jewish Baseball Museum, it was the first-ever grand slam hit by a Jewish batter off a Jewish pitcher.
On Tuesday, Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried made his first career All-Star appearance, tossing a scoreless and hitless second inning as his National League squad lost 5-3. (Fried made the 2022 All-Star team but did not appear in the game.)
The MLB Draft was also this week, and six Jewish players were selected across more than 600 picks and 20 rounds.
And over in Poland, an Israeli national team has advanced to the semifinals in the Little League Europe-Africa Region Tournament, a qualifying event for the Little League World Series. The semifinals were originally scheduled for Saturday, but the organizers agreed to move it to Friday afternoon to accommodate the Israeli team. If Israel beats Germany today, they advance to the finals on Sunday.
Read on for these stories and more Jewish sports highlights from the past week!
Garrett Stubbs embraces his role as a Jewish baseball player
Philadelphia Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and plans to do so again in 2026. At some point, the 31-year-old hopes to actually visit the country, too.
“There’s not much time when you’re a baseball player to go on trips halfway across the world,” Stubbs told JTA in a recent interview. “But I will get there.”
In the meantime, Stubbs, now in his sixth MLB season, has grown into his role as a veteran presence — both with the Phillies and among his fellow Jewish ballplayers.
“He’s part of a small group of Jewish major league baseball players and it’s a really cool little fraternity,” said Stubbs’ mother, Marti. “He’s very proud of that and so are we.”
Stubbs also discussed Oct. 7 and its aftermath — which he said “impacts the entire Jewish community in a negative way” — and how he’s learned from and supported his Israeli teammates during the war.
Tap here for more on the Phillies and Team Israel catcher.
Halftime report
CHOSEN ONES. Six Jewish players were drafted into MLB this week, including a handful of hard-throwing pitchers and a Russian-born slugger who was adopted into a Jewish family. One of the picks, lefty hurler Ryan Prager, has called Judaism one of the “foundations” of his identity. Meet the full Jewish draft class here.
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A BLESSING. As the sports world mourned the loss of Joe “Jellybean” Bryant this week, Philadelphia’s Jewish community remembered more than an eight-year NBA veteran and Kobe Bryant’s father: Joe’s first coaching gig came in 1992 at the Akiba Hebrew Academy. “His impact extended beyond the court and his lessons in leadership and sportsmanship are carried within all of us, still today,” Amy Malissa Hersz, who played for Bryant, told JTA.
NOT A SHOE-IN. Adidas released a new sneaker campaign recalling the 1972 Munich Olympics, at which 11 Israeli athletes were killed in a terrorist attack. But many Jewish groups bristled at the sportswear giant’s choice for the face of the launch: Palestinian-American supermodel and activist Bella Hadid. Following the backlash, the company said it would “revise” its campaign.
PADDLE BATTLE. It’s safe to say Jewish actor Timothée Chalamet will be practicing his ping-pong skills this year, as he prepares to portray Marty Reisman, the Jewish “wizard of table tennis” who won multiple U.S. championships. Chalamet’s new film, “Marty Supreme,” is helmed by Josh Safdie, who along with his brother Benny directed another very Jewish, sports-adjacent blockbuster, “Uncut Gems.”
BIRD-WATCHING. ESPN unveiled its top 100 athletes of the 21st century this week, and the list regrettably featured zero Jews — snubbing four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird and three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman. ESPN’s previous all-century list featured Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz at No. 33 and baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax at No. 42. If it’s any consolation for Bird, she’s getting her own Barbie doll — an honor even Koufax himself can’t match.
TRAILBLAZER. Legendary Jewish sportswriter Jerry Izenberg — whose memoir I wrote about last year — has a new book out about Larry Doby, who broke the color barrier in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Forward has more on Izenberg’s mission to honor Doby’s legacy.
HITTING FOR THE CYCLE. Canadian-Israeli philanthropist Sylvan Adams has helped boost cycling’s profile in Israel — and Israeli cyclists’ status on the global stage. With the Tour de France and the Paris Olympics, his efforts are paying off. Read more in eJewishPhilanthropy.
ANGEL INVESTORS. Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay have agreed to acquire the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City Football Clubin a deal that values the Los Angeles team at $250 million — a record for a women’s sports team. Academy Award-winning Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman was a founder and lead investor in the team’s initial ownership group.
🇺🇸 🔜 🇮🇱 After 12 years in the NBA, Patrick Beverley is heading to Israel. The basketball vet announced this week that he has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the country’s top league. “They gave me everything I asked for… I couldn’t refuse,” Beverley said via his podcast.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)
⚾️ IN BASEBALL…
All-Star Max Fried takes the mound Sunday at 1:35 p.m. against the St. Louis Cardinals, while Dean Kremer starts for the Baltimore Orioles at 2:35 p.m. against the Texas Rangers. Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies host Rowdy Tellez and the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series, while on the other coast, Zack Gelof and the Oakland Athletics host Kevin Pillar and the Los Angeles Angels.
⚽️ IN SOCCER…
Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls host DeAndre Yedlin and F.C. Cincinnati Saturday at 7:30 p.m. At the same time, Tai Baribo’s Philadelphia Union hosts Nashville S.C., while Liel Abada’s Charlotte F.C. plays at 8:30 p.m. and Zac MacMath’s Real Salt Lake at 9:30 p.m. Longtime D.C. United captain Steve Birnbaum announced his retirement this week after an 11-year MLS career.
⛳️ IN GOLF…
Max Homa, who is currently ranked No. 15 on the PGA Tour, is in Scotland again this week for the 152nd edition of The Open Championship, the oldest golf tournament in the world. Homa finished tied for 10th at the 2023 competition.
🏎️ IN RACING…
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will race in the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday at 9 a.m. Stroll, who placed seventh at the British Grand Prix earlier this month, is currently 10th in the F1 standings with 23 points on the season.
High praise for Hyman
Edmonton Oilers star Zach Hyman hosted a celebrity golf tournament in Toronto this week, where his teammate, superstar Connor McDavid, was asked about Hyman’s leadership in the Jewish community.
"Just important to be here & support his initiatives."
McDavid speaks from the Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic golf tournament in Toronto. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/XtIcLBUlYV
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 15, 2024
“He’s a great hockey player first and foremost, and the fact that he is Jewish, he bears a big burden and is the face of that community in hockey,” McDavid said of Hyman. “He does a great job, an unbelievable job, representing not only himself and his family, but also the community, all while juggling that with two kids at home and everything like that, and still having the career year that he did, you can’t say enough good things about him.”
Hyman is coming off a breakout year in which he scored 54 goals in the regular season, plus an NHL-best 16 postseason goals.
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