Israel rallies late to stun Nicaragua

MIAMI -- In a Pool D that includes powerhouses Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, not many people are giving Israel a chance to get out of the group and go deep in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

But that’s exactly how they like it.

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Remember, this is the same team that shocked the world during the ‘17 WBC, winning its first four games of the tournament and making it into the second round. Six years later, Israel is hoping for a similar Cinderella story but with an even better ending.

That story got off to a strong first chapter as Israel completed a 3-1 comeback win over Nicaragua on Sunday at loanDepot Park.

“Nobody is really giving us a shot in this pool,” said designated hitter Spencer Horwitz. “We’re gonna go out there and give it everything we can. We’re going to compete and wherever the balls land, they land.”

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After being held scoreless by four Nicaraguan pitchers with no Major League experience through seven innings, the balls finally landed in favor of Israel in the eighth inning. Impressively enough, the big hits came off Nicaragua’s best arm, Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga, who was slated to pitch the eighth and ninth.

“I have no idea what happened,” manager Ian Kinsler said with a laugh, when asked what allowed his club to get to Nicaragua’s best hurler. “That’s what I expect from my team, to play all 27 outs and fight until the end. Today we were lucky enough to be on the right side.”

Led by Dean Kremer’s four scoreless innings, the Israel pitching staff held the Nicaraguan lineup in check long enough to give its lineup an opportunity to capitalize.

The Israeli side had plenty of chances to get the big hit early in the game. Its biggest chance came in the sixth inning when Danny Valencia came up with one out and the bases loaded. Valencia, however, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

At the time, it looked as if Israel had wasted its best chance. And with the dominant Loáisiga running out to the mound in the eighth, Israel appeared destined for a damaging loss in a game that was close to a must-win. But again, when the decks are stacked against them, that’s when they believe they’re at their best.

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Horwitz got the breakthrough hit in the eighth, delivering a one-out RBI single to tie the game at 1. Three batters later, Garrett Stubbs broke it open for Israel, giving the team its first lead of the tournament with a two-run double off Loáisiga.

“He’s obviously a big league pitcher and he’s been in big situations before and he’s an unbelievable reliever," Stubbs said. "But in this situation, I just got a good pitch to hit and capitalized on the opportunity."

On Sunday, the Israeli team cherished the moment. Their fans were outnumbered by a loud Nicaraguan contingent in the ballpark. It’ll be much of the same over its next three games against Puerto Rico (Monday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1), the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Israel will be heavy underdogs in each of those games. It could be one of the toughest three-game stretches in tournament history. Despite that, the team wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We have just as good of a shot as anybody,” Kinsler said. “We’re going to give it our best shot and try to make things interesting in Pool D.”

For Nicaragua, the search for its first win in WBC play doesn’t get much easier as the team will face the Dominican Republic, which will be looking to bounce back in a big way following a loss to Venezuela to open Pool D play, on Monday at noon ET (watch on FS2).