Israel’s national baseball team overcame demonstrations, bad weather, and a tough French squad in its opening game of the 2025 Baseball European Championship in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
After coming back to beat France 8-4 on Saturday night, the blue-and-white seemed to hit a wall with the short turnaround time before Sunday afternoon’s game against Great Britain.
Israel entered the second day of group play hoping to repeat its convincing performance over France. At first, the sun was shining, protesters were not a factor and Israeli starter Josh Wolf opened against Great Britain with a dominating first inning, striking out two English players with an overpowering fastball.
In the bottom of the first, the blue-and-white got two men on base, setting the table for clean-up hitter Robb Paller who once again crushed a fastball towards the gap, but this time the centerfielder caught it for an out.
Israeli relievers kept the Brits in check, but its offense repeatedly squandered chances to get the team back into the game. A four-run sixth inning put the game out of reach at 9-0 and the wheels came off for Israel which finally succumbed 16-1.
Manager Nate Fish was quick to pick up the pieces and look ahead. “We’re where we want to be at 1-1 going into tomorrow night’s final game of Group play, against tournament host, the Netherlands.”
Following the Netherlands game prior to Rosh Hashanah, Israel will have a day off before continuing the next phase, which will take place either Wednesday or Thursday depending on the final outcome of group play.
On Saturday, a small group of about 50 pro-Hamas activists threatened to disrupt the competition, but were kept outside the stadium by security forces. A steady downpour that began just 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch proved a more serious challenge, delaying the game for more than three hours. Ironically, just after the sun broke through the clouds, a pro-Palestinian protester slipped past security and reached the pitcher’s mound. He was quickly removed, allowing the game to finally get under way.
The rain-soaked field seemed to mirror Israel’s sloppy defensive start, with multiple errors leading to three unearned runs in the second inning. The damage could have been worse if not for earlier highlights: centerfielder Itai Spinoza made a spectacular running catch on the game’s opening play, while third baseman Assaf Lowengart combined with first baseman Chase Englehard on a brilliant double play that ended a bases-loaded threat in the first. Starting pitcher Justin Alintoff showed real grit, refusing to unravel and keeping Israel within striking distance.
Going into the bottom of the third, Israel seemed helpless against French starter Quentin Moulin. Then, with two outs, Israel loaded the bases for veteran Robb Paller, who made Aliyah in 2019 and powered Israel to the Tokyo Olympics with clutch home runs. Once again, he delivered – crushing a fastball for a dramatic grand slam that flipped the game and perhaps the tournament. Israel tacked on another run in the rally to lead 5-3.
Alintoff returned to the mound and was rewarded with yet another inning-saving double play started by Lowengart. Then, in a savvy move, Fish went to his bullpen early to preserve Alintoff’s pitch count for the grueling seven-day championship. Offensively, Israel extended its lead to 8-3 in the fourth and never looked back. A steady stream of relievers – former Florida Marlin Jake Fishman, Aaron Meshoulam, D.J. Sharabi, Akiva Espstein, and ex-Phillies fireballer Charles “Bubby” Rossman, who recorded the final out – shut the door on France.
In his typical no-nonsense style, Fish called the win a total team effort, saying “everyone in the line-up contributed in some way.”
Growing core of Israeli-born talent
Paller, the game’s undisputed hero, shared the spotlight with his teammates, especially the growing core of Israeli-born talent.
“When I first came to bolster our baseball program, I was one of many Americans. Today, there are so many skilled and motivated Israelis who grew up playing locally – it feels like a dream come true.”
Alintoff echoed the sentiment, tying his experience to a larger purpose. A University of Florida graduate now pitching for the Long Island Ducks after making Aliyah three years ago, he sees security challenges as motivation.
“It’s a badge of honor, and a reminder that I’m fulfilling a life-long dream: to wear a jersey with Israel displayed on my chest. If we could ask her, Anne Frank would not be surprised to learn that 80 years later, Jews are still subject to hatred in Holland… but instead of a yellow star, today we proudly display a blue and white star as a symbol of the independent and powerful state of Israel.”