Israel registered an 11-1, eight-inning win over South Africa at Parma’s Nino Cavalli Stadium to spark scenes of celebration, meaning the delegation could break its record for the highest number of athletes ever sent to the Olympics.
The triumph sees Israel, currently No. 19 in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings, join host nation Japan as the only two nations so far confirmed for the six-team Olympic tournament.
Former Major Leaguer Danny Valencia’s three-run homer capped off a decisive victory to clinch Israel’s first-ever Olympic baseball berth.
The infielder’s eighth-inning blast in the win over South Africa was his third of the Europe/Africa qualifier, held in Italy.
“What we did was huge,” said Valencia. “It shouldn’t go unnoticed.
“I couldn’t hope to be around a better group of guys. We came here to perform a task and we did it.”
The veteran, who played for seven teams including the Red Sox and Athletics, has been a major contributor on and off the field.
Catcher Nick Rickles said Valencia’s advice helped him hit a home run against the Netherlands.
“I talked a lot with Valencia before the game. It’s really great to have someone with so much MLB experience with us,” said Rickles, who also coaches the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rickles also addressed criticism about the number of American-born players on the Israeli team.
He said: “We are all Israeli citizens. This team is made of citizens, just like any other national team.”
Israel’s tournament win came as a surprise to many, with 23-time European champions the Netherlands widely favoured to win. The Israelis beat the Netherlands and Italy on their road to victory, only losing to the Czech Republic. The Israel team was buoyed by two strong performances by ace Joey Wagman, who allowed only six hits and one run in seven innings on Sunday.
Olympic qualification was achieved without the services of Israeli-American Dean Kremer, who pitches in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles and it is hoped that he will rejoin the team for Tokyo.
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said: “Congratulations to the Israel Association of Baseball and the Israel National Baseball Team, which will make its historic Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, as the top team across Europe and Africa."
* Israel’s squad for the 2020 Olympics looks set to dwarf the previous record of 47 for the Rio Olympics in 2016. Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics and show jumping teams also secured qualification for Tokyo recently, and the baseball squad should push the overall delegation in Tokyo towards the 80-mark.
