Modi'in Miracle

Modi'in Miracle מודיעין מיראקל
League	Israel Baseball League
Location	Modi'in
Ballpark	Kibbutz Gezer Field
Year Founded	2007
League championships	0
Colors	Orange and Blue
Manager	Art Shamsky
Uniforms Home

The Modi'in Miracle (Hebrew: מודיעין מיראקל‎) is an Israeli baseball team from Modi'in in the Israel Baseball League.

The Miracle finished the inaugrual 2007 season 22-19 (.537) in third place, and after upsetting the # 2 Tel Aviv Lightning in the semi-finals, lost to Ron Blomberg's Bet Shemesh Blue Sox 3-0 in the championship game.

Miracle catcher, and former Boston Red Sox minor leaguer, Eladio Rodriguez was the league batting champion (.461). and had 16 home runs in 102 at bats. He was co-winner of The Hank Greenberg Award for Most Valuable Player.

6' 6" Maximo Nelson from San Pedro de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic, led the league with 85 strikeouts; he pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees in 2004 (posting a 6-5 record, with a 2.63 ERA).

History

The name for the Miracle is a reference to the miracle of the Maccabean revolt (which started in the area presently known as Maccabim, just outside Modi'in) and victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 BCE. Thus the use of a hanukiah in the team's logo, an object commonly associated with the miracle victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks.

On February 26, 2007, it was announced that Major League Baseball player Art Shamsky of the "Miracle Mets" would be the manager of the Miracle^[1]. Team colors also reflect Shamsky's stint with the New York Mets, and hopes that IBL officials had of creating a rivalry between the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox (similar colors to the New York Yankees) and the Miracle.

In the inaugural draft in 2007, the Modi'in Miracle selected with the first pick Aaron Levin, an infielder from Cuesta College.

41 years after he retired from baseball, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax was the last player chosen in the draft. Koufax, 71, was picked by the Miracle. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league," said Art Shamsky, who manages the Miracle. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." (It was pointed out that he'd be working on 14,875 days rest.) [1] ^[2] Koufax declined the offer to join the team.

Stadium

Located in Kibbutz Gezer, Gezer Field is home to the Miracle as well as the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox.

Roster

Modi'in Miracle rosterv · d · e
Active (25-man) roster				Coaches/Other
Starting rotation 1 Matt Bennett 4 Andre Sternberg 10 Rafi Stern 17 Ian Okorofsky 20 Jonathan Ramoo 21 Audy Alcantara 25 Nate Rosenberg 30 Craig Eagle 48 Maximo Nelson Bullpen Currently unknown † 15-day disabled list Roster updated 08.03.2007 Transactions		Catchers 6 Eladio Rodriguez 8 Steve Litvak Infielders 2 Noah Walker 9 Aaron Levin 12 Oren Gal 22 Jamie Aimar 23 Adam Harwood Outfielders 3 Moish Lewis 5 Greg Marlettl 15 Adalberto Paulino 16 Moko Moanaroa 18 Dan Drori 19 Dan Saltzman Designated hitters Currently unknown		Manager 24 Art Shamsky Coaches 7 Tony Ferrara 19 Dan Saltzman Suspended list Currently vacant

External links

• Official site of the Modi'in Miracle

Footnotes

1. ^ "Holtzman, Blomberg, Shamsky set to manage in Israel Baseball League" (in English) (HTML). The Associated Press. http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-israelbaseballleague&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved 2007-04-29. 
2. ^ "Koufax Drafted By Israeli Baseball Team", CBS News, 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-07-09.