Spencer Horwitz had a blast playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.
Less than 48 hours after playing first base and second base for Team Israel at Miami’s loanDepot Park opposite Team Netherlands, Horwitz was back to MLB business in Bradenton, Florida.
Slated as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting first baseman for the upcoming season, Horwitz had to put the 6–2 win for Team Israel on the back burner. Ending the 20-country tournament at 4–4, good enough for qualifying for the 2030 WBC, it was the Atlanta Braves who captured Horwitz’s undivided attention for Thursday’s Grapefruit League game.
Right-hander Grant Holmes started the exhibition game for the visiting Braves. Three at-bats were the extent of Horwitz’s night’s work before making way for Pirates’ prospect Callan Moss.
Working his way back into spring training concentration and reconnecting with his Pirates teammates after an excused absence to represent his Jewish heritage at the WBC, getting back into his MLB groove should only require a few more at-bats and fielding a few more ground balls this weekend.
Coming down from the emotional high that he experienced playing in his second WBC tournament for Team Israel, with the first coming in 2022 when he was positioned in left field by manager Ian Kinsler, this continues to be a work in progress for Horwitz.
“The first game, I was shaking in my boots,” Horwitz told The Epoch Times on Thursday, referring to the Sunday, March 8, game shutting out Team Nicaragua 5–0.
“I was really nervous. It felt like a debut. I could see that in a lot of the younger guys. I was just trying to help them get through that. I knew that could be intimidating with all the fans and the drums. It was a lot of fun for me, and I definitely felt more prepared this time than in 2023.”
Placed in the WBC’s Pool D with Venezuela, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, Team Israel’s record precludes them from advancing to the quarterfinals. However, the club ended their four-game schedule on a positive note, but finished in third place. Team Israel is now at 7–7 in three WBC appearances. They also improved from posting a 1–3 record in 2023.
Horwitz left South Florida for a 230-mile drive north on I-75 to the Pirates’ base in Bradenton, his head held high and his pride in representing his Jewish heritage even higher.
“I think we [Team Israel] showed our pride in these tough times. There’s a lot of proud Jews out there, and I was proud to represent them. From a baseball standpoint, we also showed that we could put together a pretty damn good team,” said Horwitz, who was managed by New York Yankees’ bench coach Brad Ausmus for Team Israel.
A caveat to Horwitz’s WBC appearances was looking across the diamond at his Pirates’ teammate O'Neil Cruz, who was suited up for Team Dominican Republic. On Monday, when these two clubs met, Team Dominican Republic was already 3–0 in Pool D. Team Israel faced a 1–2 record against the high-powered lineup of Team Dominican Republic, which includes Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis, Jr.
In the 10–1 defeat of Team Israel, Horwitz, who was the designated hitter in this game in Ausmus’s lineup, hit a one-run home run in the fourth inning. Cruz also hit a solo home run in the same inning. Both players had fun with their good fortunes on the international stage.
“We were joking about it,” says Horwitz of sharing a home run inning with his Pittsburgh shortstop teammate.
“From the dugout, we were both making faces at each other. He’s doing great in the Classic and this spring in camp. The hard work that [Cruz] put in this off-season shows.”
Rating this WBC as having a great atmosphere, and a little more intense this year than it was previously for him, Horwitz paints the tournament experience of truly getting back to the roots of baseball.
The passion in the stands, and playing for the love of the game, family, and country, is inspiring for Horwitz. As a ballplayer, Horwitz hopes the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles will feature MLB players in lineups for teams from around the globe, similar to the WBC. For now, Horwitz, his Team Israel teammates, and the program are applauding the progress made.
“It was a very positive week overall. Big step forward from 2023,” Nate Fish, the CEO of Israel Baseball Americas and former player and coach, told The Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Thursday.
“It’s hard to advance when you’re in a bracket with Venezuela and [Dominican Republic], but winning two games at the WBC is very impressive.” Fish also served as Team Israel’s batting practice pitcher.
With one dozen spring games left to play before Pittsburgh breaks training camp for their season-opener with the New York Mets at Citi Field, Horwitz could take what he’s learned from Team Israel’s coaching staff and his new, but temporary, teammates to add an edge to his approach playing in 2026.
As a Maryland native with Jewish lineage, Horwitz continues to make baseball fans of multiple ethnic backgrounds proud of his hitting, fielding, and patriotism.
