Daily Pitch: 2017 archives

2017 games Games played September 29-October 1, 2017 Games played September 28, 2017 Games played September 27, 2017 Games played September 26, 2017 Games played September 25, 2017 Games played September 22-24, 2017 Games played September 20-21, 2017 — no summaries (Rosh Hashanah) Games played September 19, 2017 Games played September 18, 2017 Games played…

Minor-League Monday (April 3-9, 2017)

By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights from April 3-9, the opening week of the 2017 season. Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week 3B Mitchell Kranson (Twins/A), a 2016 draftee, started the season strong, going 4-for-9 (.444) with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, a walk, and only one strikeout. Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week P Dean…

Daily Pitch: Games played April 7-8, 2017

By Scott Barancik, Editor Games played April 8 Joc Pederson was 0-for-1 with a walk before being lifted for a pinch hitter last night. His Dodgers (3-3) lost to the Colorado Rockies, 4-2, with L.A. starter Clayton Kershaw yielding back-to-back HRs for the first time in his career. Ian Kinsler was 1-for-4 with an RBI single as the Detroit…

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The 19 Jews of Spring Training

By Scott Barancik, editor With Team Israel’s surprising run at the World Baseball Championship behind us, Jewish Baseball News turns to that beloved annual rite: Spring Training. A total of 19 Jewish players were invited to MLB Spring Training camps this year, either as part of their teams’ active roster, 40-man roster, or non-roster invitee…

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Resurgent hurler Craig Breslow won’t play for Team Israel after all

By Scott Barancik, editor When Team Israel announced its 28-man roster for the World Baseball Classic a couple weeks ago, Craig Breslow was on the list. The veteran Major League hurler would anchor Israel’s bullpen during the March tournament in South Korea, equipped with a nearly side-armed delivery he honed during the off-season. But now that he’s legitimately fighting…

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A ‘Kelly’ representing Israel? Yep!

By Ron Kaplan, correspondent “Slide, Kelly, Slide!” was usually heard in association with the great 19th-century player King Kelly, who played for several Major League teams and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. But fans of the Israeli team that will be participating for the first time in the upcoming World Baseball Classic…

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Send Jonathan Mayo — and his film crew — to South Korea!

By Jonathan Mayo, special to Jewish Baseball News I never thought the two sides of my life would ever come together. Baseball and Israel. I mean, for most of my life, that would be like peanut butter and tomato sauce. Jews and baseball, now that’s long been a thing. That “Great Jews in Sports” pamphlet they joke about…

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Introducing slugger Rowdy Tellez, Jays’ #9 prospect

By Scott Barancik, Editor The latest athlete to join the ranks of Jewish ballplayers is a 6-foot-4-inch first baseman with prodigious power and a promising future with the Toronto Blue Jays. California native Rowdy Tellez, 21, turned down a roster spot at USC in 2013 when the Blue Jays offered him an $850,000 signing bonus out…

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Israel’s WBC roster taking shape

By Scott Barancik, editor The roster of players set to represent Israel in the World Baseball Classic in South Korea this March is taking shape. Team Israel general manager Peter Kurz, whose squad of former Major League and current minor-league athletes guided Israel to a qualifying-round win in September, said Tuesday that 15 ballplayers had already committed to…

Players, film crew head to Israel tomorrow

By Stuart M. Katz, correspondent When centerfielder Sam Fuld and nine other Jewish athletes head to Israel on January 3 for what might be dubbed a ‘Baseball Birthright’ trip, they won’t be alone. Wives, parents, sons, and a fiancée will be traveling with this minyan of Major League players and prospects, all of whom plan to represent…

Minor-League Monday: 2016 archives

2016 archives Games played August 29 – September 4, 2016 Games played August 22-28, 2016 Games played August 15-21, 2016 Games playedAugust 8-14, 2016 Games played Aug. 1-7, 2016 Games played July 25-31, 2016 Games played July 18-24, 2016 Games played July 11-17, 2016 Games played July 4-10, 2016 Games played June 27-July 3, 2016 Games played June 20-26 Games played June 13-19, 2016 Games played June…

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How they built Team Israel’s roster

By Sam Brief, Correspondent In September’s qualifying round for the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), Colorado Rockies prospect Scotty Burcham tallied a .455 batting average, the best on Team Israel and among the top 15 for all teams. If not for Facebook, Burcham might never have swung a bat in Brooklyn. Since anyone who is Jewish or has…

The 16 Jewish Cubs

By Scott Barancik, Editor On September 5, 1927, Lefty Weinert tossed a 6-1, complete-game win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field, yielding 5 hits and no earned runs. It wasn’t just the 25-year-old southpaw’s Chicago Cubs premiere. It also marked the very first Jewish appearance in this storied franchise’s history….