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Team Israel loses 10-0 to Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic’s first-ever perfect game
MIAMI (JTA) — Israel found itself on the wrong side of World Baseball Classic history Monday night as Puerto Rico pitched a combined perfect game, a first in the five editions of the international tournament.
The box score says it all. Israel: 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 errors. Puerto Rico: 10 runs, 11 hits. A perfect game.
For Puerto Rico, the hits came early and they came often. Led by New York Mets star Francisco Lindor, Puerto Rico ambushed Israel’s starting pitcher, Houston Astros prospect Colton Gordon, and knocked him out of the game before there were any outs in the second inning.
Puerto Rico scored three runs each in the first, second and fifth innings, and one final run in the bottom of the eighth that served as a “walk-off” of sorts. The 10-run lead triggered the WBC’s mercy rule, and the game ended.
And Israel? Crickets.
Puerto Rico’s starting pitcher, José De León, an experienced big leaguer now in the Minnesota Twins organization, was as sharp as could be — striking out 10 Israeli batters and exiting after five and two-thirds innings with a perfect game. The Puerto Rican bullpen kept Israel’s bats silent for the remainder of the contest.
Israel manager Ian Kinsler said he has a simple message for his team: move on, and fast.
“It’s got to go down the drain quickly,” Kinsler said after the game. “This tournament comes at you quick. We’ve got another game tomorrow that’s really important, so the faster we can forget about this one, the better.”
Despite a thrilling late-game comeback against Nicaragua on Sunday, Israel’s loss to Puerto Rico could be a harbinger of what’s to come over the next two days, with the vaunted Dominican Republic and Venezuelan teams up next. Orthodox prospect Jacob Steinmetz, the first Orthodox player drafted into the MLB, will start for Israel.
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Exclusive: Israeli Officials Harshly Critical of Steve Witkoff’s Influence on US Policy on Gaza, Iran, i24NEWS Told
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Amid growing disagreements with the Trump administration over the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza and the question of a strike on Iran, officials in Israel point to a key figure behind decisions seen as running counter to Israeli interests: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The officials mention sustained dissatisfaction with Witkoff. Sources close to the PM Netanyahu told i24NEWS on Saturday evening: “For several months now, the feeling has been that envoy Steve Witkoff has strong ties, for his own reasons, across the Middle East, and that at times the Israeli interest does not truly prevail in his decision-making.”
This criticism relates both to the proposed inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza’s governing bodies and to the Iranian threat. A senior Israeli official put it bluntly: “If it turns out that he is among those blocking a strike on Iran, that is far more than a coincidence.”
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EU Warns of Downward Spiral After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over US President Donald Trump‘s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against Its Policy
FILE PHOTO: Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer/File Photo
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace – to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance – were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.