Baseball

Alex Bregman, who drew a Jewish star on his cap after October 7, inks $175M deal with the Cubs

Bregman's contract with the Chicago Cubs is the second-largest contract ever signed by a Jewish ballplayer, behind Max Fried’s $218 million contract in 2024.

|ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Alex Bregman meets the media during his first press conference after signing with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on January 15, 2026.
Alon Leichman, former assistant pitching coach for the Miami Marlins, looks on before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 18, 2025.

Alon Leichman becomes first Israeli head pitching coach in the MLB

Leichman, who grew up on Kibbutz Gezer, had just wrapped up a season as assistant pitching coach for the Miami Marlins when he received the news on Saturday.

|ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
Houston Astros former pitcher Roger Clemens tosses a ball before the game between the Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park, August 2, 2025.

Trump backs Roger Clemens for Baseball Hall of Fame, bashing 'erroneous' drug accusations

"The only reason he is not (in the Hall of Fame) is because of rumors and innuendo, which were not proven," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

|ByREUTERS
SANDY KOUFAX, himself inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, appears at this year’s ceremony in July, in Cooperstown, New York. He showed that being Jewish wasn’t something to hide or on which to compromise, the writer asserts.

Sandy Koufax put his Judaism before his baseball career: What will be your Sandy Koufax moment?

When our kids see us sacrifice for our Jewish values and for Israel, and when they take part themselves, they learn that these are not ideals but living commitments.

|ByMATTHEW WEISBAUM

American Jews — and allies — turn out to support Israel at the World Baseball Classic

Team Israel superfan Michael Ignagni has been at each of Israel’s WBC games this week in Miami.

MARCH 16, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
MANY OF players who suited up for Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be back donning the blue-and-white this month at the World Baseball Classic, where Israel will be playing in Pool D in Miami.

Orthodox prospect Jacob Steinmetz shines for Team Israel in World Baseball Classic loss

Jacob Steinmetz, the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted into the MLB, struck out three batters – including a six-time All-Star and a World Series MVP.

MARCH 15, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Jacob Steinmetz pitched for Team Israel against the Dominican Republic, March 14, 2023, in Miami.

Israeli and Dominican teams host a ceremony to promote friendship at the World Baseball Classic

Israel and the Dominican Republic also signed a memorandum of understanding to emphasize the friendship between the two countries.

MARCH 15, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Baseball players from the David Posnack Jewish Day School pose with local Dominican teens at a ceremony March 14, 2023, in Miami.

How Israel built its most talented baseball roster ever for the 2023 World Baseball Classic

Pulling the team together took a combination of personal cajoling, a widely respected manager and Jewish geography

MARCH 15, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
MANY OF players who suited up for Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be back donning the blue-and-white this month at the World Baseball Classic, where Israel will be playing in Pool D in Miami.

Team Israel loses 10-0 to Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic's first-ever perfect game

Israel’s loss to Puerto Rico could be a harbinger of what’s to come over the next two days.

MARCH 14, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
MANY OF players who suited up for Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be back donning the blue-and-white this month at the World Baseball Classic, where Israel will be playing in Pool D in Miami.

Team Israel beats Nicaragua 3-1 after thrilling comeback in World Baseball Classic opener

After key plays for Team Israel, the Israeli pop song “Mahapecha Shel Simcha” (“A Revolution of Joy”) blasted from the speakers.

MARCH 13, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Israel third baseman Garrett Stubbs (21) hits a two-run double during the eighth inning against Nicaragua at LoanDepot Park, Miami, Florida, Mar 12, 2023.

Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry is now an evangelical preacher focused on promoting Israel

Strawberry, an eight-time MLB All-Star-turned-traveling-preacher, embarked on his first pilgrimage to Israel in 2018.

MARCH 9, 2023ByGABE FRIEDMAN/JTA
Darryl Strawberry bats in a game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in 1986.

Team Israel back for the 2023 World Baseball Classic

Team Israel is arguably the best embodiment of the WBC’s eligibility rules. To play in the WBC, a player does not need to have been born in or be an official citizen of the country he is playing for.

MARCH 6, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
MANY OF players who suited up for Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be back donning the blue-and-white this month at the World Baseball Classic, where Israel will be playing in Pool D in Miami.

Red Sox exec Chaim Bloom says he’s received antisemitism over team’s woes

On top of death threats and slurs, Bloom has been called “an embarrassment to any torah-following Jew.”

FEBRUARY 25, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) hits an RBI single during the ninth inning to defeat the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.

Washington Nationals baseball team owner Ted Lerner dies at 97

Lerner was born and raised in Washington, DC to Orthodox Jewish parents.

FEBRUARY 17, 2023ByRON KAMPEAS/JTA
Nationals owner Ted Lerner smiles during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Nationals baseball stadium in southeast Washington, May 4, 2006.