The sea of smooth green Astroturf at the Ezra Schwartz Memorial Field, a regulation-sized baseball field in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana, was ringed by Israeli, American and multicolored Maccabiah flags this week as fans filled the bleachers to watch two teams go head-to-head, one suited up in red and white, the other in white and blue.

Team USA and Team Israel had battled it out in a six-game series, which was tied at 3-3 on Wednesday, when Team USA went on to take game seven with a 5-1 win.

After the final out, there was a short roar from the victorious American team, a momentary quiet from the Israelis, and then a peaceful shaking of hands as the two teams filed past one another.

The tournament itself was an achievement for both teams, as Team USA was whittled down to just 17 players after the 22nd Maccabiah Games, scheduled for last year, were delayed by the 12-day war with Iran, prompting some athletes to drop out.

“We never even got to train together,” said USA coach Wayne Stotsky, who ended up merging two older and younger teams.

The merger made things more challenging for his own players, who had little bench time during the tournament week, but also for the Israelis, who fielded a much younger team.

The Israeli team of 17- and 18-year-old high schoolers, said coach Freddy Bain, made history playing against college-age players: “We played neck and neck with them,” Bain said.

The Israeli team will head to Italy on Thursday to play in the U18 European Championship.

That’s a different kind of challenge, said Bain, playing in unknown territory, knowing the team may come up against anti-Israel sentiment, possibly requiring them to stay in their hotel rooms between games.

But they’re excited, said player Eitan Agus, 17, who has been playing baseball in Ra’anana since he was six years old.

“Playing on this field and with these players was amazing,” Agus said.

Israeli baseball offers the opportunity to think about something beyond war, loss and trauma, which have been front and center in this English-speaking enclave in the country’s center.

Grief, along with a sense of renewal, seems baked into the sunny field, built in 2017 and named for Ezra Schwartz, the........

© The Times of Israel