Tale of underdog WBC Israel team to be shared at Toronto Hot Docs festival
The underdog Team Israel somehow won four games at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Their story is captured in a new documentary.
By Andrew Hendriks
Canadian Baseball Network
March 15, 2017: With two outs, runners on the corners and the score knotted at 1 in the 10th inning of 2017's World Baseball Classic opener at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, Team Israel's Scott Burcham stepped into the box looking to provide a spark.
Korea's Chang-Lom Lin wasted little time getting ahead of his opponent, delivering high, inside fastballs in an attempt to gain an edge. Down to his last strike, Burcham tapped a ball to second base, put his head down and broke for first.
Korea's Geochang Seo ranged to his right and picked the ball off the infield dirt, but struggled to get it out of his glove in time to complete the 4-3 put out. Former Boston Red Sox prospect Mike Meyers scored on the play, handing the Israelis a late advantage.
Appearing in his third inning of relief, Mets hurler Josh Zied retired the Korean's 1-2-3 in their half of the tenth, handing Team Israel their first WBC victory.
Spark delivered.
Ranked No. 41 ahead of tournament play, Israel would go on to win another four games in the WBC, defeating Cuba 1-0 in round robin action but failing to advance past Pool E as a result of a pair of losses to the Netherlands and Japan, respectively.
Their dramatic underdog story became a key narrative throughout the event, capturing the attention of many who followed the ballclub's impressive rise.
“Maybe there will be kids who want to be the next Sam Fuld or the next Ryan Lavarnway who had no idea about them before,” explained Israel manager Jerry Weinstein in an interview with MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo following the event. “It gives them role models. The players were put on a pedestal worldwide. That will inspire all kids, but especially Israeli and US Jewish kids.”
Starting this weekend, you can relive that incredible WBC run by attending one of the many showings of "Heading Home; The Tale Of Team Israel" as part of the Hot Docs series at Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto.
Directed by Sam Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger, the 86-minute Ironbound Films production takes an in-depth look at the dynamic group of players who made up that Cinderella squad, documenting their trip to Israel in advance of the tournament, and the impact the team's success had on the country and its youth.
"Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” is the David-and-Goliath story of Israel’s national baseball team as it competes for the first time in the World Baseball Classic," reads the film's official synopsis. "After years of crushing defeats, Israel finally ranks among the world’s best in 2017. Its roster includes many Jewish-American major leaguers, most with a tenuous relationship to Judaism, barely any ever having set foot in Israel. Their odyssey takes them from the Holy Land where they are hailed as modern-day Maccabees to the tournament in South Korea where they must debunk their reputations as has-beens and wannabes."
Beginning on March 22, Heading Home will play for one week at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema before opening for another week-long run at the Mt. Pleasant Theatre on the 29.