Stat of the day: Oct. 19-25, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 31, 2015: New York Mets LF Art Shamsky hit a blistering .538 in the 1969 NLCS before going 0-for-6 in the World Series Oct. 30, 2015: Two of 13 Jews in MLB this year are named Gold Glove finalists: Kevin Pillar, and Ian Kinsler Oct….
By Zev Ben Avigdor, correspondent Many Jewish baseball fans follow Jewish players’ journeys from college, through the affiliated minor leagues, up to a Major League Baseball team. Not as many fans keep track of players in independent baseball, such as the Can-Am League, the Atlantic League, or the Frontier League. One of the top independent leagues…
Stat of the day: Oct. 19-25, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 25, 2015: Kevin Pillar leads all Jewish major leaguers with 140,000 Twitter followers Oct. 24, 2015: White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg (High-A) was 1-4 with 11 saves and a 2.97 ERA in 2015 Oct. 23, 2015: Over 4 World Series, Sandy Koufax had a…
On this date: Oct. 19-25, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 25, 1992: Italy’s Riccardo Patrese wins Grand Prix Japan, his sixth Formula One victory Oct. 24, 1967: Steve Chubin, a 6’2″ guard with the ABA’s Anaheim Amigos, scores 42 points against the Kentucky Colonels Oct. 23, 1983: Brian Gottfried wins his 25th and…
Stat of the day: Oct. 12-18, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 18, 2015: Drafted to play first base, Pirates prospect Jared Lakind was 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 2015 Oct. 17, 2015: Nats prospect Richard Bleier went 14-5 in 2015 and averaged less than one walk per 9 innings Oct. 16, 2015:…
On this date: Oct. 12-18, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 18, 1983: Pro bowler Mark Roth wins his 28th title, 2nd-most in PBA history Oct. 17, 1968: Two Jews medal in Olympic 4×100 freestyle relay: Mark Spitz (U.S., gold), Semyon Belits-Geiman (USSR, silver) Oct. 16, 1974: A’s pitcher Ken Holtzman homered and earned his 2nd win in Game 4 of the World Series Oct. 15,…
Stat of the day: Oct. 6-11, 2015 (archive) Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 11, 2015: Sandy Koufax struck out in 49.7% of his at-bats, worst in MLB history Oct. 10, 2015: Reds prospect Zack Weiss had 30 saves this season, #2 among all 4,794 minor-league pitchers Oct. 9, 2015: Kevin Pillar‘s RBI double Thursday was the…
On this date: Oct. 6-11, 2015 Powered by Masa Israel Journey Oct. 11, 1965: Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax hurls complete-game shutout of Twins in Game 5 of World Series, adds RBI single Oct. 10, 1925: Michigan QB Benny Friedman throws 5 TDs, runs another, and kicks 8 XPs in 63-0 win over Indiana Oct. 9, 1973:…
By Scott Barancik, editor Starting today, Jewish Baseball News is introducing two daily features during the October MLB Playoffs: a numbers-driven item called “Stat of the Day,” and “On This Date,” which will recall special moments in Jewish sports history. Both retweetable features are powered by Masa Israel, a joint project of the Jewish Agency…
By Scott Barancik, editor A Jewish duo keyed Oakland’s 4-3 win yesterday over the Astros (9/18/2015). Danny Valencia supplied the power. Batting cleanup, the mid-season acquisition hit a solo HR in the 4th inning and a two-run shot in the 8th that proved to be the game-winner. Sam Fuld furnished the glove. Houston was up 2-0…
By Scott Barancik, editor Cody Decker returned to L.A. on Sunday, a day after his El Paso Chihuahuas were knocked out of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) playoffs. His future was uncertain: after seven seasons as a San Diego Padres farmhand, the franchise’s all-time minor-league home run leader (154 HRs) was due to become a…
By Scott Barancik, editor It looks like manager Brad Ausmus’s stay with the Detroit Tigers is coming to an end. Citing an unnamed source with “knowledge of the front office’s plans,” the Detroit Free Press reported this morning that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch will fire Ausmus sometime after the the team’s final game of the regular…
By Scott Barancik, editor It took 10 days after the horrific events of 9/11/2001 for baseball to resume in New York City. On Sept. 21, the hometown New York Mets’ Bruce Chen faced off against the Atlanta Braves’ Jason Marquis, a 23-year-old righthander from Staten Island. Before the game, Marquis was asked how he felt…
By Scott Barancik, editor It has been a big week for Reds prospect Zack Weiss. Weiss, a 23-year-old reliever drafted out of UCLA in 2013, began the season with the Daytona Tortugas (A+), where he quickly earned 5 saves before being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA) in early May. Since arriving he has established…
By Scott Barancik, editor On Tuesday, Major League teams can expand their rosters from 25 players to 40, an annual September ritual that allows top prospects a chance to take a swing at the big time. Although there are no guarantees, two Jewish pitchers might make the leap. One is Washington Nationals farmhand Richard Bleier, a…
By Scott Barancik, editor Here’s what’s happening in Major League Baseball. Ryan Braun hit his 250th career home run Wednesday. Among Jewish players, only legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328) have hit more. The homer, Braun’s 20th of the season, came against the Cubs’ Jason Hammel, the same pitcher who gave up Braun’s 249th…
By Scott Barancik, editor Ryan Braun is one shot away from becoming the third Jewish player to amass 250 career HRs, joining legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328). Eighteen other active Major Leaguers already have 250-plus HRs. But when Braun joins their elite club, he will stand out in two ways. Rk Player HR Age…
By Scott Barancik, editor Danny Valencia, who was as shocked as his fans were when the Toronto Blue Jays designated him for assignment on Saturday (8/1/2015), has been claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. The 30-year-old Florida native was hitting .296 with 7 HRs, 13 doubles, and 29 RBIs in 162 at-bats when the…
By Scott Barancik, editor Israel’s senior national baseball team crushed its “C pool” competition in last year’s European Championship qualifiers. Now it’s cruising through the “B pool” qualifying tournament, which began Monday (7/27/2015) in Vienna and includes national teams from Austria, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. In Game 1, Israel defeated Belarus 13-1 on 13 hits…
By Scott Barancik, editor In one of the strongest Jewish draft classes in years, 11 amateurs were chosen in the first 20 rounds of the 2015 draft, and one of them (the Astros’ Alex Bregman) was selected #2 overall. The total Jewish head count was no fewer than 15. Who signed? And who decided to stay…
