Israel’s national baseball team, which made history at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, won a silver medal at the European Championships on Sunday, losing 4-9 in the final to the Netherlands after a close game.
However, a handful of members, mainly from the US Olympic team, also competed in the European Championships. Most of the players on the current team are Israelis who learned the game locally.
This is the first time Israel has been on the podium in the tournament, and only the second time the Jewish state has competed at the top level.
Meanwhile, it was the 24th win for a strong Dutch team in the tournament.
Israel, which guaranteed a surprise spot on the podium with an 11-5 win over hosts Italy in Friday’s semi-final, was set to make a big mess in the final as well, leading 4-1 in the sixth inning.
But the pace completely changed in the last part of the game in Turin, with the Dutch proving too strong to handle the offense.
congratulations to the netherlands @ baseball softball A great game on and defending the European title. We will wear our silver medals with pride! ????????????????? # eurobaseball21 #blueandwhite_baseball pic.twitter.com/4cix4n3APK
— Israel Baseball (@ILBaseball) September 19, 2021
Two years earlier, Israel missed out on a podium place, finishing fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Spain.
Team Israel failed to win a medal At the Tokyo Olympics, he finished fifth with a team of nearly all-Americans, including former major league All-Star Ian Kinsler. Some predicted that Israel, making its Olympic debut, would finish in the top 3 of the six-team field.
This result has caused the team’s coach Erik Holtz to be fired for the past four years. step down last month. He was replaced by Nate Fish.