In case the news got lost in the cacophony of sports news over this past weekend, Team Israel swept through their modified double-elimination World Baseball Classic qualifier to punch a ticket to the 16-team tournament that will be held next February and March.
This particular qualifier was the final of the four such events that the WBC mandates in order to award the last four spots to go along with the 12 automatic qualifiers.
This four-team mini-tourney took place in Coney Island, N.Y., at MCU Park, the home of the New York Mets affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, in the New York-Penn League.
Team Israel was able to get through the three-game gauntlet without losing a game to Brazil or Great Britain (whom they played twice, including Sunday Night’s Championship match).
While the final score might make it look like it was a cake walk, nothing could be further from the truth, as the two teams entered the bottom of the fifth inning in a scoreless duel.
In that crucial bottom of the fifth, Israel scored four runs, the big blow coming on a pair of two-run home runs by centerfielder Blake Gailen and by former big league catcher Ryan Lavarnway.
From a pitching standpoint, Israel had three hurlers combine to take a no-hitter vs. Great Britain into the eighth inning.
Combined in the three games of this tournament, Israel’s staff gave up only three earned runs. This was a staff that included at least three former big league pitchers in Sunday’s starter. Jason Marquis, Sunday’s game-winning pitcher, and Josh Zeid combined for seven no-hit innings in the championship, as well as Craig Breslow.
Winning this spot will send Israel into the WBC for the first time ever. In 2012, they lost a heartbreaker to Spain in 10 innings in a championship qualifier played at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
Israel will now go to Seoul, South Korea on Mar. 7, the home site of the South Korean National team, along with Chinese Taipei and The Netherlands.
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