Team Israel — the self-proclaimed “Jew Crew” — saw its Cinderella run at the World Baseball Classic end with a loss to Japan in Tokyo. Japan snapped a scoreless tie with five runs in the sixth inning on the way to an 8-3 victory on Wednesday before more than 40,000 fans packed into the Tokyo Dome.
Israel startled the baseball world by opening the tournament with four straight victories, including a 4-1 win over powerhouse Cuba in the first game of the second round. But Israel lost 12-2 to the Netherlands on Monday and needed to beat Japan to move on.
Last week, in the first round, the Israelis squeaked past third-ranked South Korea, 2-1, in extra innings, outscored fourth-ranked Taiwan, 15-7, and defeated ninth-ranked the Netherlands, 4-2, to finish first in Pool A with a 3-0 record.
This is the first year that Israel has qualified for the tournament. In 2012, its inaugural WBC squad narrowly missed advancing past the qualifiers.
Most of the players are American Jews, among them several former major leaguers. WBC rules state that players who are eligible for citizenship of a country may play on its team. Jews and their grandchildren, and the grandchildren’s spouses, have the right to become Israeli citizens.
The team appeared on the field at each game for the national anthem of Israel, “Hatikvah,” with matching blue kippot. The club’s mascot was known as “Mensch on a Bench.”
Top Photo: Team Israel players seen in the dugout prior to their World Baseball Classic game against Japan in Tokyo on Mar. 15. (Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Middle Photo: Team Israel players line up for the national anthem prior to their World Baseball Classic game against the Netherlands in Tokyo on Mar. 13. (Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Bottom Photo: Cody Decker of Team Israel holds the team mascot, the “Mensch on a Bench.” (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)