Baseball fans amazed as 19-year-old Jacob Steinmetz strikes out Manny Machado and Jeremy Pena in World Baseball Classic: "Israel has a new hero"
The World Baseball Classic has had its share of feel-good moments over the years, and it just had another one.
A day after his team got mercy-ruled off the field by Puerto Rico, 19-year-old pitcher Jacob Steinmetz gave Team Israel and its fans a reason to cheer by striking out both Manny Machado and Jeremy Pena of Team Dominican Republic on Tuesday.
Steinmetz, a Queens, New York, native who was drafted in the third round in 2021 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, got the start against the pre-tournament favorite one day after Israel hit its low point of the WBC after not putting a single runner on base in a 10-0 loss to Team Puerto Rico.
: WBC on FS119-year-old Jacob Steinmetz strikes out Manny Machado 🇮🇱🔥
📺: WBC on FS1 https://t.co/uQLK2TwvpF
Steinmetz gave up the game's first run in his opening inning, but not before sending Manny Machado down flailing with his first of his three strikeouts in the game. Then, to open the second inning, Steinmetz handcuffed Pena, the 2022 World Series Most Valuable Player, striking him out looking.
For good measure, Steinmetz claimed one more K, whiffing catcher Gary Sanchez before coming out of the game to a rousing ovation from Israeli players and fans.
Sure this is "just" a strikeout in the first inning, but this highlight will have a very long legacy. Where were you when Steinmetz struck out Machado? #WBC #TeamIsrael 🇮🇱 twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
SHALOM MY BROTHER twitter.com/mlbonfox/statu…
Israel has a new hero, and his name is Jacob Steinmetz. twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
No matter what team they were rooting for, baseball fans around the world took to Twitter to praise the accomplishment of a pitcher with just 12 professional games under his belt representing his ancestral home in the World Baseball Classic. Many hope to be seeing more of the young Steinmetz at the major league level in the future.
19-year-old Jacob Steinmetz, the 4th-youngest pitcher to start WBC game, who's pitched in 12 professional games, all at the complex league level, STRUCK OUT MANNY MACHADO
no matter what else happens, WHAT A MOMENT FOR HIM
BASEBALL IS THE BEST twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
Let's gooooo! So impressive! twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
that’s my idol twitter.com/mlbonfox/statu…
And while the rest of the baseball world celebrates a teenager's amazing and feel-good achievement, St. Louis Cardinals fans remain obsessed about their own little team that hasn't won a World Series since five years before the Chicago Cubs claimed their last title.
For the record, Machado launched a 440-foot home run in his next at-bat – his second of the tournament. As of Tuesday, Arenado has yet to launch a round-tripper in World Baseball Classic play.
This the guy supposedly better than Nolan? twitter.com/mlbonfox/statu…
Arenado would never do this twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
Machado strikes out against 19 year olds arenado gets hits 🤷♂️ twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
While Steinmetz won't be joining this list as he's still deep down in the Diamondbacks' minor league system, it does show the depth of his achievement in striking out a pair of MLB stars – even if it was in the WBC and not an MLB game.
The last pitchers younger than Jacob Steinmetz to strike out a batter in a regular season MLB game:
Elvis Luciano (2019)
Félix Hernández (2005)
Rich Garcés (1990)
Wilson Álvarez (1989)
Ed Correa (1985)
José Rijo (1984)
Dwight Gooden (1984) twitter.com/MLBONFOX/statu…
Team Israel nearing the end of its World Baseball Classic
The odds were stacked against Israel being drawn in the World Baseball Classic's "Group of Death" in Pool D. The group features not only the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, but also Team Venezuela – which hasn't lost yet in this year's tournament. Israel did claim a win, defeating Team Nicaragua on March 12, so it won't go home empty-handed.
And, of course, Steinmetz will have a life-long memory.