The first season of the Israel Baseball League drew to a close, with the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox shutting out the Modi’in Miracle 3-0 in Petach Tikva for the championship.
Managed by Ron Blomberg, a former New York Yankee slugger and Major League Baseball’s first designated hitter, the Blue Sox dominated Sunday’s title game behind pitcher Rafael Bergstrom, according to the IBL’s Web site.
The Blue Sox led the league throughout the eight-week season. Players, many of them Jewish, were recruited from around the world, including the United States and the Dominican Republic.
As Commissioner Dan Kurtzer bestowed the Blue Sox with its trophy, Blomberg said, “I’ve been in two World Series with the New York Yankees, and this championship lives up to both.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
