Baseball

From Little League to Team Israel: Baseball takes root across the Holy Land

The number of teams and players gathered in Tel Aviv on that sunny Friday was a testament to just how far baseball has come in Israel. It was not always this way.

Young Israeli baseball players take part in a practice session as the sport continues to grow, with youth programs expanding into communities across the country.
Demonstrators gather near a barricade they created during a protest against a U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine plan on the establishment of a 50-bed facility at a Kenyan air force base that was intended to host Americans exposed to Ebola, in Nanyuki town, in Laikipia County, Kenya June 1, 2026.

Kenyan police fire tear gas during protest against US Ebola quarantine facility

Mar 28, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels players line up before the game at Oakland Coliseum

Your Investments: Opening day, leaving Egyptian exodus with great wealth, and financial optimism

Israeli pitcher-catcher duo, Ben Simons and C.J. Stubbs.

Israel closes out WBC campaign with statement victory over Netherlands


Mark Vientos has become a Mets postseason icon. His botched Hebrew tattoo may have an encore.

A young Mets player, Mark Vientos, has become a key figure in the team's unexpected playoff run, despite controversy over a misspelled Hebrew tattoo.

 Mark Vientos, left, celebrates his game-winning two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds with teammate Harrison Bader, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York City.

25 ViZionaries: Ryan Lavernway - No.18

Outspoken advocate for Israel and the Jewish people.

 Ryan Lavernway

Jewish MLB executive Chaim Bloom to lead St. Louis Cardinals beginning in 2026

Chaim Bloom, the 41-year-old Jewish baseball executive, will take over as the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations beginning with the 2026 season. 

 Chaim Bloom speaks at a St. Louis Cardinals press conference, Sept. 30, 2024.

From fan to front office: Eve Rosenbaum’s rise as a Jewish female baseball pioneer - interview

Eve Rosenbaum's lifelong passion for baseball propelled her from Orioles fan to assistant GM, breaking barriers and driving the team's resurgence.

 EVE ROSENBAUM has spent her entire career in sports -– with the NFL and mostly in Major League Baseball, where she is currently assistant GM with the Baltimore Orioles.

For the third time ever, MLB game featured a Jewish pitcher, catcher and batter at the same moment

The Jewish batter Max Lazar struck out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Diamondbacks outfielder Joc Pederson, is also Jewish.

 Joc Pederson during a Spring Training game against the Colorado Rockies, March 13, 2024, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

‘Israel Swings for Gold,’ a tale of Israeli Olympic baseball, is available to stream

It tells the inspiring story of a team that went into the Olympics as the ultimate underdogs. No one expected the team to qualify for the games at all.

 A SCENE from ‘Israel Swings for Gold.’

The Jewish Sport Report: Garrett Stubbs on playing for Team Israel and hopes to visit the country

Stubbs also spoke of the October 7 massacre and its aftermath, noting the impacts on the Jewish community and his support for Israeli teammates.

 Garrett Stubbs, Ryan Lavarnway and Noah Mendlinger are playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.

Meet the 6 Jewish baseball players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft

Meet this year’s Jewish MLB draft class, but whether they actually play in the major leagues is an open question.

 Levi Sterling, left, and Ryan Prager were selected 37th and 81st overall, respectively, in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Levi Sterling first Jewish ballplayer to be picked, by Pirates, in ’24 MLB Draft

In 2023, six Jewish ball players were selected in the draft.

Levi Sterling, a 17-year-old pitcher and shortstop out of Notre Dame High School in California, was selected 37th by the Pittsburgh Pirates in this week’s MLB Draft.

Philadelphia Phillies's Garrett Stubbs makes ‘history’ and embraces his role as Jewish ballplayer

Garrett Stubbs made Jewish history, the first-ever grand slam hit by a Jewish batter off a Jewish position player. 

Garrett Stubbs during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, June 26, 2024, in Detroit.