Woodmere resident Jacob Steinmetz takes star turn at World Baseball Classic

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Though Team Israel was defeated by the Dominican Republic 10-0 in a World Baseball Classic game on March 14, Woodmere resident Jacob Steinmetz pitched as though he is a major league All-Star.

The youngest player in the tournament, Steinmetz, 19, struck six-time MLB All-Star Manny Machado, two-time All-Star Gary Sánchez; and 2022 World Series most valuable player Jeremy Peña as the starting pitcher.

In an inning and two-thirds, the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted by major league baseball, allowed two hits and a run facing the entire Dominican Republic  team lineup.

Steinmetz, a righty, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third round of the 201 first-year player draft. He graduated from Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School.

As of press time, Israel is 1-2 in WBC play and was playing Venezuela on March 15.