Israel stun hosts in World Baseball Classic opener
Dramatic opening match sees Israelis mark their competition debut with a win over South Korea.
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Israel got their 2017 World Baseball Classic campaign off to a winning start on Monday as they beat hosts South Korea 2-1.
Taking part in the tournament for the first time, the match was played out in front of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. Israel clinched their historic victory with Mike Meyers scoring the winning run at the top of the 10th inning, Josh Zeid pitched three scoreless innings, including striking out Korean Dae-Ho Lee – who hit 14 homers for the Mariners last season.
Ty Kelly, who also plays for the New York Mets, tweeted after the match: “Definitely the most stressful game I’ve ever been a part of. But it was worth it. #teamisrael”
The Israeli squad features 29 players, 11 of whom have MLB experience, though only three are Israeli. They next face Chinese Taipei on Tuesday, before playing their final Pool A match against the Netherlands on Thursday. The top two teams in the group will advance to the second round.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
