Peter Kurz

The original article is published at JPost.com

Blue-and-white baseball and softball players wear their support on their hands.

When Cincinnati Reds assistant pitching coach and former Team Israel Olympian Alon Leichman unveils his special Independence Day baseball glove next week, he will have a special group of unlikely supporters to thank.

Leichman, 34, the only native-born Israeli coaching in Major League Baseball, spent time in Israel from October 18, 2023 to February 1, 2024, where he picked oranges and avocados with Team Israel teammates, and received a great deal of support from the Reds and former teams and players, and contemplated ways he could continue to be supportive to his homeland.

When Leichman returned to the United States for Reds Spring Training, a picture on social media of a unique baseball glove caught his attention – and it would send him down the road to producing two unique mitts of his own which would contain powerful messages in support of Israel.

Leichman initially saw a photo of a two-toned blue softball glove, shared by Team Israel softball player Maddy Lewis. Her glove contained the word “Hazakim B’yachad” (“stronger together”). Her own glove story would inspire Leichman.

Lewis, 26, had a distinguished college softball career at the University of California San Diego, where she also worked in the athletics communication department. Lewis was longing to stay connected to softball after graduation. She tried out and made Israel’s national team and became an Israeli citizen in July 2023. Lewis is currently the social media and community manager for Blast Motion, a company that created a device that attaches to the knob of a baseball bat to monitor bat speed and rotation. To stay in shape for softball, she often trains on her own.

BASEBALL GLOVE designer Jake Hale (right) has been working with Cincinnati Reds assistant pitching coach Alon Leichman (left) and other Israeli athletes to create unique Israel-themed mitts (inset) in the aftermath of October 7 and the ensuing war. (credit: Jake Hale/Courtesy)

“I was running bases, hitting off a tee, and throwing against a wall at a park in San Diego when a friendly guy came up to me,” she told The Jerusalem Post.

The friendly man was Jake Hale, a self-described “old country boy from Ohio” who played minor league baseball for ten years without seeing a single day in the majors. Hale started a company called JH Performance, which includes a division that sells baseball equipment and accessories.

“I saw a girl there all the time working out,” noted Hale. “I spoke to her, and she told me she plays for Team Israel.”

Showing support through sports

Hale was trying to get into the softball glove market and offered to create a customized glove for Lewis, who immediately knew the color scheme she wanted but asked a friend to help her find a slogan to put on the glove to help remind her of the purpose and values after all that happened on October 7.

Lewis appreciated how careful Hale was in getting the Hebrew just right.

“Hebrew is right to left, which is confusing. He wanted it to be perfect!”

Fellow Team Israel softball player, Ruby Salzman, who played at West Texas A&M University, reports, was also inspired by Lewis.

“I asked, ‘what is one thing that means a lot?” recounted the self-reported “committed Jew.”

“It was cool having a glove with the Israel flag on it.”

She added the flag and the Star of David to the Hebrew word “Linshom,” (“breathe”) to her specially designed glove.

Hale is pleased with the way news of his gloves – and their messages – are spreading.

“I got Maddy her glove, she made a post, and Alon saw it.”

“When I saw it, I thought ‘maybe I should get a glove too’” said  Leichman, who decided to design his own red and black glove which he notes are “the colors of Bring Them Home.”

Leichman also regularly sports a “Bring Them Home” shirt on the field while practicing with his Cincinnati teammates.

Leichman proudly noted that he has “two more gloves coming – a blue-and-white for Remembrance Day and Independence Day and a catcher’s glove.”

Hale proudly delivered the blue and white glove to Leichman when the Reds were in San Diego recently to play against the Padres.

As excited as he is about the initiative, Leichman added with concern and optimism: “I am hoping things get better back home and [wearing special gloves] won’t be a thing anymore.”

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The original article is published at JPost.com

MLB’s lone Sabra stands strong with Israel from near and far as Reds’ assistant pitching coach.

In most ways, Cincinnati Reds assistant pitching coach Alon Leichman looks like all other players and coaches on the National League Central team. During games, all are clad in white pants and shirts with the word “Reds” inscribed inside of a large letter “C,” and all wear red baseball caps with the same letter “C.” And all are focused on the game.

As Leichman sits on the bench in the dugout taking copious notes on his pitchers’ form and delivery, it is not obvious that the 34-year-old is the only native-born Israeli in the major leagues (though there are other Israeli citizens throughout MLB who are not native born, including Baltimore Orioles pitcher and fellow Team Israel player Dean Kremer).

Leichman’s mind is on the game, and it is also on the situation back home in Israel. The generally quiet and humble Leichman has not been afraid to stand up for his country during these difficult times. Pictures abound of Leichman wearing a “Bring Them Home” T-shirt pitching batting practice, while sporting a black glove with an Israeli flag and the words “Bring Them Home” stitched in white capital letters and the word “NOW!” in even bigger red letters.

Leichman grew up playing baseball, a somewhat surprising fact for a Sabra. He was reared in Kibbutz Gezer, near Latrun on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While his New York-born father and Michigan-born mother, who met in Israel after making aliyah in their 20s, were not particularly big baseball fans, the kibbutz had an affinity to American baseball.

“The kibbutz was founded by Americans and wanted to bring American culture to Israel, so all kids on the kibbutz play baseball. I happened to really like it,” exclaimed Leichman, who started playing shortstop and pitcher on his first team at age six.

Leichman’s custom designed glove. (credit: Alon Leichman/Courtesy)

Peter Kurz, former President of the Board of Directors of the Israel Association of Baseball and current General Manager of Team Israel, has known Leichman for over 20 years.

“I took Alon on his first Israel National Team trip – and my first as well – to Holland as a 10-year-old kid in 1999 – the youngest on a team of 12 year olds.”

Leichman graduated from the Brenner Regional School in 2007 and went on to serve in the Israel Defense Forces as an “outstanding athlete.”

He went on to attend junior college at Cypress College in Cypress, California, and pitched on their baseball team from 2010-2013.

“My parents supported my going to college in America to play baseball – they knew it’s what I always wanted to do.”

While at Cypress, Leichman required Tommy John surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He then attended University of California-San Diego, where he pitched and graduated with a history degree. Leichman always knew he would continue either to play baseball, coach or serve as a scout.

The likable Israeli maintained what he describes as a “good connection” to his junior college coach, Scott Pickler, who always told him, “You will be a good coach someday.”

Leichman then had an opportunity to coach in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he helped the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox win the 2016 Championship.

“I had been helping out as pitching coach and the pitcher did pretty well. It gave me the stage to work. People know each other in baseball and it kept leading to other opportunities.”

In 2017, Leichman began a six-year career in a variety of roles with the Seattle Mariners organization. In 2022, he served as pitching coach of the AAA Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.

Leichman continually stresses how gradual the progression is from playing in college to coaching at the various levels in professional baseball. In December, 2022, Leichman was named assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds.

“It has been a good dream come true to coach here,” Leichman said of Cincinnati. “Every step of the way prepares you for the next step.”In his current role, he charts each game from the dugout.

“I make sure guys are on track and help them make adjustments if needed. If I see they are off, I talk to them.”

Kurz is proud of Leichman

“No one was more thrilled than I was to see his meteoric rise as a coach in minor league and MLB baseball, and he will be an MLB manager one day soon. His determination, grit, rise to excellence, ability to reach out to everyone at any level, and perseverance always made him stand out.”

Throughout Leichman’s impressive baseball career in America, he has always maintained strong ties with Team Israel and to his native Israel. In his post-college years, he proudly coached junior 12 to 18 year olds in Israel.

“I always liked coaching and knew I would do it after I was done playing.”

Kurz has been with him through almost two decades and countless milestones.

“I have been involved with Alon on countless National Teams, the IBL, the WBC and the Olympic team.”

Leichman competed for Israel during the qualifying round of the 2010, 2012 and 2016 European Baseball Championship.

Leichman was on the roster for Israel during 2013 World Baseball Classic, though he did not make any appearances. He later served as the bullpen coach for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier and at the World Baseball Classic.

Leichman competed on the Israel National Team for qualifying for the 2020 Olympics. He pitched one perfect inning for Team Israel against Team USA in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

“Pitching in the Olympics was the highlight of my baseball career,” reported Leichman beaming with pride.

When Israel was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Leichman was in the United States. He was touched and appreciative when the Reds came out with a public statement a day later, on October 8, which said that they “mourn the loss of life and suffering of innocent people caused by the terrorism perpetrated against Israel. We condemn these senseless acts of hate and stand in solidarity with the people of Israel as we pray for peace and an end to terrorism.”

Leichman didn’t take that public show of support for granted.

“It was a big deal… Both the manager and GM reached out and offered support if I needed anything.”

In addition, Leichman said that his former team, the Mariners, reached out, as have several past and current Jewish major leaguers.

Leichman returned to Israel on October 18 and remained there with family until returning to the US and the Reds on February 1 for the new season. Kurz shared how Leichman spent his time in Israel.

“Even over the last few winter months when he was in Israel during the war, and we volunteered together to help Israeli agriculture and picked oranges and avocados together with Assaf Lowengart and the Olympic IOC, Alon was always one of the guys, and spent time with our budding athletes, teaching them and showing them the finer points of the game that he learned. And with all that, he has always been humble, appreciative, and understood where he came from and has always given back.”

Leichman returned to the Reds for spring training and for the start of the MLB season. He chanced upon a picture of a glove posted on social media by a female friend who played softball for Team Israel.

When he saw Maddy Lewis’s two-toned blue glove, designed by JH Performance with the words “chazakim b’yachad” (“we are strong together”) Leichman thought, “Maybe I should get a glove too.”

With Israel still at war and the hostages still in captivity, Leichman decided to design his own red and black glove which he notes are “the colors of Bring Them Home.”

Kurz was touched

“When he publicized the mitt he had made, and whenever he uploads a picture of himself at Reds camp with the “Bring them Home” T-shirt, I get goosebumps and the value of that simple PR act is incredible.

“Alon is indeed the first Sabra to reach this coaching level in MLB and he will achieve greater things as well, but he will always remember his roots and support them. I am very proud to have mentored and taught him over the years.”

Leichman prays for the day he will no longer need to wear the “Bring Them Home” shirt or glove.

“I hope things get better back at home. I hope it won’t be a thing anymore.”

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Original Article Published On The JNs

Still, it has its work cut out for it at the World Baseball Classic in Miami, where some of the best teams share its division, says Peter Kurz.

Team Israel is currently battling it out in the World Baseball Classic in Miami, where it’s part of a grouping with powerhouses the Dominican Republic, which many are picking to win; Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Nicaragua rounds out the five-team Pool D, whose games will be held from March 11 to March 15.

Still, the team’s coach and general manager are optimistic. “We will be the underdog like always, and we will be overlooked,” former professional baseball player Ian Kinsler, who coaches the Israeli team, told JNS. “I have a pretty easy message for the players. We are showing up to win, not just to participate.”

Peter Kurz, the team’s general manager, told JNS that he has a lot of confidence after Israel’s “incredible run” in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Israel was the lowest-ranked team “by far” to make the Olympics, and it won Israel’s first-ever Olympics team game.

It also came in second in the 2021 European Championship “on a team that was over 50% locally grown sabra ballplayers,” he said. “Those were incredible achievements, and they have certainly put Israel baseball on the map.”

This year, Israel’s team has 13 current or former Major League Baseball players and eight Minor League prospects, who might play in the majors next year. Ten hold Israeli citizenship.

“Team Israel will surprise a lot of people,” said Kurz.

Ian Kinsler, part of Team Israel, is playing in the World Baseball Classic in Miami from March 11 to March 15, 2023. Credit: Israel Association of Baseball.

‘It was a great trip for the family’

JNS reached Kinsler—himself one of the most decorated professional baseball players—in early March before he left his home in Texas to fly to Miami with his son, Jack.

A former four-time All-Star and holder of a World Series ring, Ian Kinsler won two gold gloves at second base during his 14-year career: eight with the Detroit Tigers. He won the World Series in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. Throughout his career, he stole 243 bases, recorded 1,999 hits, belted 257 home runs and batted in 909 runs. In 2022, the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame inducted him.

Kinsler grew up in Tucson, Ariz., the son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. He has told reporters often that he did not grow up religiously observant but that playing for Israel, including going through the process of making aliyah in 2020 to be eligible for the Olympics, has connected him more strongly with his Jewish relatives.

He was one of five torchbearers at the Maccabiah opening ceremonies in Jerusalem in 2022 and threw out the opening pitch at a Maccabiah game. On that trip, he told JNS, he and his family spent Shabbat at the home of Jordy Alter, president of the board of directors of the Israel Association of Baseball.

“We got to experience Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” he said. “It was a great trip for the family.”

Experiencing the history in Israel made Kinsler feel more connected, and it “brings out feelings of lineage and heritage—that it is really your people,” he told JNS. “The more you experience Israel, the more you feel connected.”

Kinsler’s 14-year-old daughter, Rian, felt like she was participating in a high school learning field trip, and his 11-year-old son, who answered every question with “King David,” ended up being right half the time, he said. At Israeli sporting events, Kinsler appreciated how relaxed it was.

The Israel team arrived in Miami on March 6 before nightfall and the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim. On Tuesday, Jordy Alter arranged a Megillah reading for the team, which also watched the 2022 film “Israel Swings for Gold,” about Israel’s baseball team competing in the Olympics in 2021.

After exhibition games on Wednesday and Thursday, the team will work out on Friday at the Miami stadium, take Shabbat off and play the first game on March 12 at noon against Nicaragua.

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Original Article Published On The JNS

Israeli-American pitcher Dean Kremer, 25, took to the mound in an Orioles-Yankees game that ended with a 7-2 win for the home team. Still, he now holds a place in the record books.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer holds the distinction of being the only Israeli to pitch at “The House That Ruth Built.”

After Tuesday night’s start against the Yankees in New York City, he reported that “pitching at Yankee Stadium felt pretty good. This time, it was better because there were fans. It was definitely an experience.”

After giving up a leadoff single to DJ LeMahieu, Kremer—the 25-year-old Israeli-American starting pitcher for Baltimore Orioles—was just as quickly knocked off the mound by an Aaron Judge line drive, which Yankees’ radio announcer John Sterling described as a “bullet up the middle” that “drilled him.” Announcer Suzyn Waldman observed that Kremer was “wincing.”

While Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and the team trainer were assessing Kremer’s ability to continue, Waldman shared the young player’s biography, which includes having two Israeli parents who served in the Israel Defense Forces, his spending summers in Israel and his having a history of pitching for Israel’s National Team. Waldman noted Kremer’s impressive record against the Yankees last year when he was called up by the Orioles at the end of the season.

“He had two terrific games against the Yankees,” said Hyde. In those two appearances, Kremer pitched 11 innings, gave up two runs and had 14 strikeouts.

Kremer’s impressive first season earned him a spot in this year’s starting rotation for the Orioles. He struck out seven batters in six innings pitched in his Major League debut last season at Camden Yards in Baltimore. He had 22 strikeouts in 18 innings, while also giving up 12 walks.

Dean Kremer speaking to the media after his start at Yankee Stadium. Source: Screenshot.

After Tuesday night’s scare, which Kremer reported “luckily got me in the meat and not in a bad spot,” he got back on his feet. “It got tight at first, then loosened. I just kept going.”

He struck out the next three batters and threw a total of 80 pitches before leaving with the Orioles trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning. Kremer gave up four walks, five hits and five strikeouts. The Yankees held on to win 7-2 behind starter Gerrit Cole’s 13 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.

‘Being the first to do something is an incredible honor’

Born and raised in Stockton, Calif., Kremer pitched for the Team USA baseball team in the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a gold medal. In 2014 and 2015, he pitched for Israel in the qualifying rounds for the European Baseball Championship. Also in 2015, he became the first Israeli drafted by a Major League Baseball team; he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 38th round but chose not to sign.

He was drafted again by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB draft. He pitched in September 2016 in the qualifier for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The Dodgers traded him to the Orioles in 2018, where he led all Minor League pitchers in strikeouts.

Oon the mound for the Baltimore Orioles. Credit: Courtesy of Baltimore Orioles.

Cody Decker, who played for the San Diego Padres and various other Major League teams (mostly with Minor League affiliates) as well as for Team Israel, and is known for bringing the team’s mascot, “The Mensch on the Bench,” from the United States to Asia for the World Baseball Classic, is proud of his Team Israel teammate. “Dean is a great kid with a live arm and bright future—and when he grows it out, he has GREAT hair!”

Kremer is proud of his Team Israel experience and of being the first Israeli citizen in the MLB. “It means everything to me,” he said. “Just being the first to do something is an incredible honor.”

He noted that he values his time with Team Israel. “Being around those guys—the guys on the team were much older or a few years older—with Big League experience helped me get to where I am now. It was a pretty unbelievable experience.”

Peter Kurz, Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) President and general manager of Team Israel, loved having Kremer on the team and is “very excited to have Dean open up the season against the Yankees.”

Kurz, whose Team Israel is preparing for this July’s Tokyo Olympics (rescheduled from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic) added that “Dean is on Team Israel’s extended roster, but as a 26-man roster MLB player, he will not be eligible to play for us in the Olympics. We want to wish him the best of luck in the upcoming season and his career.”

Hyde said he is proud of his starter and sees great potential in the young player. “He pitched well and battled through. He threw a lot of pitches and ran out of gas in the fourth inning.”

Still, he said he is pleased that Kremer has four pitches, and admires his “starter mentality and toughness” and feels he “will continue to improve.”

Announcer Sterling pointed out that Kremer’s Yankee Stadium pitching debut took place on the same day in Yankees history when Jewish baseball player Ron Blomberg became the first designated hitter for MLB. On April 6, 1973, at Boston’s Fenway Park, Blomberg was walked by Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant with the bases loaded in the first inning. The bat he used now stands on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Baltimore Orioles Israeli-American pitcher Dean Kremer. Credit: Johnny Douglas/Baltimore Orioles.
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