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Friday, March 10, 2023

The legend of Shlomo Lipetz, WBC Team Israel’s 44-year-old ‘mythical figure’

In October 2001, a hairy Israeli man in skinny jeans and a skin-tight nightclub shirt strolled onto the baseball field at San Diego Mesa Junior College. Thousands of miles from home and just three weeks removed from mandatory military service, the 22-year-old freshman approached one of the coaches and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Shlomo,” he proclaimed in broken English. “I want to play baseball.”

Twenty-two years later, the 6-foot-4 sidearming Israeli soft-tosser is the second-oldest player in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. When Team Israel takes on the Dominican Republic in a week’s time, Lipetz will share a stadium, if not a field, with the likes of Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Rafael Devers.

Here is another seemingly contradictory fact: The 27⅔ innings he threw for the Netanya Tigers of the short-lived Israel Baseball League way back in 2007 are the totality of his official professional baseball experience.

Armed with a mid-70s fastball, a vagabond’s passport, a mullet and, sometimes, a gold tooth, Lipetz is Kenny Powers, Forrest Gump, Paul Bunyan, Batman and Walter Johnson rolled into one. He has pitched around the globe — from Tel Aviv to Vienna, Belgrade to Seoul, Tecate to Blagoevgrad, San Diego to Turin, from the Tokyo Olympics to Central Park — all the while carrying the Israeli baseball community on his shoulders

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 10, 2023 at 10:07 PM | 3 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: israel, wbc

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Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

   1. Starring Bradley Scotchman as RMc Posted: March 11, 2023 at 09:17 AM (#6120142)
Teams I'm rooting for in the WBC: USA (duh), Canada (for my Dad), Italy (for my wife), GB (for my Mom), Israel (my niece is Jewish).

Teams I'm rooting against: China, Cuba (enuf said).
   2. Miserable, Non-Binary Candy is all we deserve CoB Posted: March 11, 2023 at 06:32 PM (#6120202)
[edit] NVRM
   3. kirstie819 Posted: March 20, 2023 at 10:36 PM (#6120871)
For babies and toddlers, a convertible car seat is the best option. This type of seat can be adjusted from rear-facing to forward-facing, or even used as a booster seat for older children. It’s important to make sure the convertible seat you choose fits your child properly, so it’s essential to read the instructions and measure your child before you purchase. CarSeatGuides

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