Israel at the European Baseball Championship

Baseball occupies a modest place in Israeli sporting culture. A profile published in 2013 reported that approximately 1,000 players practiced and competed under the Israel Association of Baseball, allowing Israel to field competitive national teams across age groups for Europe's top tournaments.[1] Baseball nevertheless remained a relatively minor sport in the country. Israel's 2017 World Baseball Classic team was composed chiefly of American Jews and sought to raise awareness of the sport in Israel.[3]

One of Israel's earliest documented results at a European youth-level competition came in 2006, when the Israeli National Little League Team traveled to a small town in the Czech Republic for the European Championships. Manager Zaq Harrison recalled the team entering the stadium to the strains of "Hatikvah" and ultimately winning bronze — the team's best result at that point.[4] Israel hosted European Championship qualifiers for the first time in 2011, a milestone for the country's baseball infrastructure.[1]

Israeli-American pitcher Dean Kremer brought individual distinction to Israel's European qualifying campaigns, pitching for the national team in the 2014 and 2015 qualifying rounds for the European Baseball Championship.[5] He won the Most Valuable Pitcher award in both years, a back-to-back honor that underscored Israel's growing competitiveness in European play even before it had established itself in the championship's top tier.[5]

Israel's most consequential European campaign before 2021 unfolded in 2019, when the team navigated multiple stages of continental competition as part of the pathway to Olympic qualification. In the first stage, Israel went 6–0 to win the European Championship Pool B tournament held in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, defeating Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Russia.[6] The team then beat Lithuania in a best-of-three playoff to advance to the Pool A stage.[7][6]

In the European Championship A Pool, held in Germany, Israel recorded wins over the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain.[7] The quarterfinal saw Israel defeat France 8–2, with Nick Rickles hitting a two-run home run in the third inning to build a 5–0 lead.[8] Israel ultimately finished fourth in the A Pool, losing the bronze-medal match to Spain — its second appearance in the tournament's uppermost tier.[7][9] Despite falling short of the podium, the campaign served its larger purpose: Israel subsequently competed in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Parma, Italy, and secured a place at the Tokyo Olympics.[7]

Israel's finest hour in European baseball came at the 2021 European Baseball Championship in Italy, where the team reached the gold-medal game for the first time. The squad arrived depleted: with only 17 players available against rosters of 24 on every other team, the Israeli lineup was stretched by injuries and professional commitments that had followed the team's Olympic campaign in Tokyo.[2] The roster included 10 Israeli-born players alongside immigrants to the country, and nine players were under 25.[10] Head coach Nate Fish had taken over after Erik Holtz's departure.[10]

Israel swept through the group stage, defeating Russia, France, and Great Britain, then beat the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal before facing host Italy in the semifinal.[10] Italy had won 10 European titles and had been a finalist at the preceding championship. It led 4–1 early, but Israel tied the score in the second inning and surged ahead 7–4 in the third.[11][10] Veteran pitcher Shlomo Lipetz — then 41 years old, who had initially planned to skip the tournament to prepare for his upcoming wedding in New York before manager Fish called him in — shut Italy out over four innings to preserve the lead.[11] Mitch Glasser contributed two doubles and four RBIs, and Israel won 11–5 to reach its first-ever European final.[11]

In the gold-medal game in Turin, Israel held a 4–1 lead into the sixth inning before the Netherlands rallied to win 9–4, handing Israel the silver medal.[9][2] Assaf Lowengart led all hitters in the tournament with four home runs and 13 RBIs.[2] Only a handful of the predominantly American players from Israel's Olympic team also competed in the European tournament, where most of the squad had developed through the country's domestic baseball system.[9] Manager Fish called the run "improbable" given the circumstances, while Israel Association of Baseball general manager Peter Kurz described the tournament as a coming-of-age moment for Israeli baseball, pointing to the homegrown players developed through the country's programs.[2]

At the 2023 European Baseball Championship, held in the Czech Republic from September 23 to October 1, Israel finished sixth among 16 teams — a drop from its 2021 silver-medal peak.[12] Its results included a 14–1 win over Switzerland, a 2–0 loss to Germany, an 11–8 win over Belgium, a 12–2 loss to the Netherlands, a 6–4 win over Sweden, and a 5–1 loss to the Czech hosts.[12] General manager Peter Kurz noted that the team had hoped to finish in the top four.[12]

The tournament coincided with Yom Kippur, and tournament organizers scheduled Israel's games just before and after the fast day to accommodate the players. Israel Association of Baseball spokesman Frankie Sachs reported that about half the players fasted and noted that organizers had previously resisted such scheduling adjustments but ultimately made the necessary accommodations.[12]

Israel competed in the 2025 European Baseball Championship in the Netherlands, although it had previously been set to host the tournament.[12][13] The team opened with an 8–4 win over France, powered by Rob Paller's grand slam in the third inning.[14] Israel also defeated Switzerland before suffering losses to Great Britain and the Netherlands.[15] It reached the quarterfinals but fell 4–3 to the Czech Republic, then lost 10–9 to Germany after leading 7–2 and committing four errors.[15] Israel finished seventh, securing that placement with an 11–5 victory over Croatia in the 7–8 playoff match; 46-year-old Shlomo Lipetz pitched 6⅔ innings in the win.[15]

Israel's 2021 silver medal was presented by team officials as evidence that the domestic development system was beginning to produce results. General manager Peter Kurz connected the run to players who had grown up in Israel's academy structure, while new baseball fields in Beit Shemesh and Ra'anana were reported to be nearing completion. Israel was also invited to the following year's Super Six and to the 2023 European Championship, extending the competitive opportunities created by the medal run.[2]

Israel's participation in the 2025 championship in Rotterdam drew organized protests. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside Neptunus Stadium before the opening Israel–France game, with organizers identified as the Palestine Coalition Rotterdam foundation.[16] A protest spokesperson criticized the decision to admit Israel to the tournament and noted that Rotterdam's mayor, Carola Schouten, had not moved to exclude the team despite calls to do so.[16] Police eventually moved demonstrators to a nearby area and allowed spectators to enter. The game was also delayed by rain, with reports placing the total delay between two and two and a half hours.[14][16]

The national identity of Israel's baseball team has also drawn scrutiny, given that rosters for major international tournaments have often included Jewish-American players who received Israeli citizenship. During the 2019 campaign, catcher Nick Rickles responded to that criticism directly, stating that the players held Israeli citizenship and passports, describing Israel as a second home, and saying the team played for the name on the front of the uniform rather than for individual surnames.[8]