Jews & Venezuelans: Playing the Same Game

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2026 World Baseball Classic – Championship – Venezuela vs. United States
Credit: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Venezuelans are still riding high, the adrenaline of our World Baseball Classic victory still surging through our veins. That 3-2 final against the USA was historic. We defeated the inventors of the game, the kings of the competition, the masters of the fabulous MLB, and the world’s foremost superpower in this sport.

Venezuela took to the streets. In the plazas of Caracas, giant screens drew thousands of eyes. When the final out was recorded, an explosion of joy erupted—fireworks, embraces, and the next day a subsequent parade of thousands on foot and motorcycles under the sun and the fresh breeze of the Avila hill. We weren’t just celebrating a sporting triumph; we were celebrating something greater: a moment of national unity.

However, I want to talk about a previous encounter—the game played against Israel on Tuesday, March 8, 2026, which ended in an 11-3 victory for Venezuela.
We won, which is hardly surprising; we are a baseball powerhouse. As I noted in a previous article, we inherited this game from the Yankees and improved upon it with our own Caribbean flair and “picardía.”

But imagine, dear TOI readers, a match between Venezuela and Israel. It happened, and it was a display of absolute respect. Despite the fierce competition, an energy of fraternity filled LoanDepot Park in Miami. Venezuela remained undefeated and consolidated its path, but Israel proved it was no small rival.

Team Israel is a fascinating blend. Most are Major and Minor League players of Jewish descent (under the “Law of Return”), but the roster does include Israeli-born players, such as the iconic veteran pitcher Shlomo Lipetz and young talents nurtured in Israel’s domestic league. Their manager is the legendary Ian Kinsler—former MLB star and gold medalist with Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In fact, he hit a historic home run in the final against Puerto Rico. With Israel, Kinsler played in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) after obtaining Israeli citizenship.

Although it was a historic milestone for the country—Israel finished in a respectable 5th place and earned its first-ever Olympic win in history against Mexico—they did not win a medal. This year, his leadership has been pivotal in merging American technique with Jewish identity.

Pride Above the Scoreboard
Here in the TOI, Zev Stub covered the game noting Israel’s elimination, but with the sub-headline: “Jewish pride as far as the eye can see.” By winning two games against Nicaragua and the Netherlands, Israel secured its spot for the next World Baseball Classic in 2030.
As Ari Veron, head of the Israel Association of Baseball, stated ahead of the tournament: “Israel’s team in the World Baseball Classic is the largest platform we have for sports diplomacy in America… This really is a chance to unite and bond the entire Israel- and baseball-loving community.”

Collaterally, this worked for Venezuelan baseball as well—for the players and the fans in the stands. There was absolute respect, zero antisemitism; we were equals on the field of play, in the “Field of Dreams.”

Other Israeli outlets like Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post covered the tournament not as a sporting defeat, but as a cultural victory. They highlighted Israel as an emerging power capable of going toe-to-toe with the giants. After the loss to Venezuela, the focus was: “We fell to the champions.” There was explicit recognition of Venezuelan talent, calling them “the team of destiny.” And in the end, we were.

There are always isolated attempts to politicize sports. Small groups with political slogans gathered outside the stadium, but they were completely drowned out by the baseball festival. MLB security and the spirit of the fans—both Venezuelan and Jewish—kept the focus squarely on the game.

The Venezuelan players were true gentlemen. There were embraces on the chalk line, greetings exchanged between players who know each other from the Big Leagues, and, above all, a validation of the Israeli effort. There were no gestures of hostility; only recognition among equals.

Baseball is the “playing field” where political differences surrender to clear rules; it is like the Halacha of the diamond.

And Venezuelans, much like the people of Israel, have had to learn to survive a brutal diaspora. A third of our population has left, yet they maintain their bonds and identity—solid, heartfelt, and filled with nostalgia and love for their land. The stadium was packed with the Venezuelan diaspora in Miami, which mirrors the Israeli experience: a team full of players returning to their roots, supporting Israel and their national team from wherever they are in the world.

In baseball, there is no “them” or “us”; there is only a shared desire to reach Home. Venezuela and Israel showed the world that one can compete fiercely without losing brotherhood.
The same held true in the final against the almighty US Dream Team.
Because we are the champions, my friends…