Nate Fish (born January 2, 1980) is an
American–Israeli
, native_name_lang =
, image =
, caption =
, population = 110,000–150,000
, popplace = New York metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Miami metropolitan area, and other large metropolitan ar ...
writer, artist, baseball player, and coach. He was the first base coach for
Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, bullpen coach at 2023 World Baseball Classic, an assistant coach for the YD Red Sox in the
Cape Cod Baseball League, and worked as a minor league coach for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
.
Fish plays shortstop, third base, outfield, and catcher.
He has won three medals at the
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...
. He played for the
Tel Aviv Lightning
The Tel Aviv Lightning ( he, תל אביב לייטנינג) was an Israeli baseball team from Tel Aviv in the Israel Baseball League.
The Lightning finished the inaugural 2007 season in second place with a 26-14 (.650) record, and lost to the M ...
in the only year of the
Israel Baseball League
The Israel Baseball League (IBL; Hebrew: ליגת הבייסבול הישראלית, ''Ligat ha-Beisbol ha-Israelit'') was a six-team professional baseball league in Israel. The first game was played on June 24, 2007.
League structure
The six ...
. He served as national director for the
Israel Association of Baseball
In Israel, baseball was historically not a popular sport, the IAB founded by Randy Kahn in 1985, is one of six nations to qualify in baseball for the 2020 Olympics has yet to be felt. There are approximately 1,000 players in 16 cities across the co ...
(IAB). Fish coached for the
Israel national baseball team
The Israel national baseball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בבייסבול) represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Israeli-American former Major League Baseball World Series champion, World Baseball Classic champion, ...
, in the 2013 and 2017 qualifiers for the
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
, and was Team Israel's first base coach in the
2017 World Baseball Classic
The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
in South Korea and Japan. In 2017 and 2018, Fish was an assistant coach for the YD Red Sox in the CCBL. In 2019, he worked as a minor league coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fish was the bullpen coach for Team Israel in the
2023 World Baseball Classic.
Fish has published a number of magazine features and poems, and has ha
two solo exhibitionsof
visual art
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...
in New York City. He was inducted into the
Shaker Heights High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2016.
["Nate Fish '08,"]
Shaker Heights Hall of Fame.
Early life
Fish was born in
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...
, and is Jewish.
He moved to
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, when he was 12 and grew up there.
[Elli Wohlgelernter (September 15, 2016)]
">"Israeli baseball in Brooklyn!; Next week Israel’s international baseball team will be playing in the World Baseball Classic’s qualifying tournament",
''The Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
''.
Baseball
United States
Fish attended
Shaker Heights High School from 1994 to 1998. He was a high school teammate of
Matt Guerrier
Matthew Olson Guerrier (born August 2, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
Amateur career
A native of Cleveland ...
, who went on to play for the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
,
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, and
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
.
Fish played for the school's varsity baseball team for three years, earning all-region honors each year, and served as team captain his senior year.[
From 1998 to 2002, Fish played baseball at the ]University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
with his close friend—the only other Jewish player on the team—future Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
star Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979), nicknamed "Youk" , is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red S ...
.[Raanan Geberer (October 10, 2013)]
"Nate Fish: From Brooklyn artist to a leader of Israeli baseball,"
''Brooklyn Daily Eagle
:''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently''
The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...
''. While playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...
, Fish appeared in 181 games, batting .249 with 22 doubles, 13 home runs, and 71 RBIs. As a senior, Fish was the captain of the Bearcats, hit .287 with seven home runs, and set the Conference USA record with six hits in a game.
At the 2005 Maccabiah Games Fish played for Team USA, and won a gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
. Fish later was the head coach of the United States Junior National Team for the 2013 Maccabiah Games. The team won a gold medal in 2013 Maccabiah Games boys' baseball.
In 2010, Fish co-founded and managed the Yorkville Baseball Academy in New York City.["Introducing… Nate Fish,"]
Israel Baseball, April 8, 2011.
In 2017, he was Assistant Coach of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Israel
The Israel Association of Baseball appointed Nate Fish as the manager for the senior national team in August 2021. Prior to that he served a number of positions including player and coach.
European Baseball Championship
Fish was the starting shortstop for Israel in the 2014 and 2015 qualifying rounds for the 2016 European Baseball Championship. The team won the C Pool in 2014, and finished third in the B Pool in 2015, behind Sweden and Austria.
In the C-Level qualifier in 2014, Fish was the starting shortstop in all five games, and batted third. During the opening game against Finland, Fish went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, 2 RBIs, and a run scored. During the second game, against Slovenia, Fish went 0-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. During the third game, against Latvia, Fish went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. In the semifinals game against Romania, Fish went 2-for-5 with a home run and a strikeout. In the finals, against Slovenia, Fish went 1-for-5 with a run scored, as Israel went on to win 14-0 and moved on to the B-Level qualifier.
In the B-Level qualifier in 2015, Fish was once the starting shortstop in all five games, and batted fifth. During the opening game against Belarus, Fish went 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, and a run scored. During the second game, against Poland, Fish went 1-for-3 with a walk. During the third game, against Austria, Fish went 2-for-4 with a RBI, a run, and was hit by a pitch twice. During the fourth game, against Lithuania, Fish got a walk and a double in four at-bats, and struck out once. During the final game against Sweden, Fish went 2-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
World Baseball Classic
Fish was the bullpen catcher and coach for Team Israel at the 2013 World Baseball Classic in Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...
. Team Israel beat Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, but lost in the finals to Spain and did not qualify for the 2013 WBC.
In 2016, Fish was on the coaching staff for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic Team Israel has competed in the World Baseball Classic since the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier round. In 2017 Israel competed at a World Baseball Classic qualifier for the second time, and for the first time qualified for the main tourname ...
qualifier in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Team Israel beat Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
to qualify for the 2017 World Baseball Classic
The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
. In March 2017 he returned in the same role in the main tournament. He was Team Israel's first base coach in the 2017 World Baseball Classic
The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
in South Korea and Japan.
Other Israel activities
In 2007, Fish played third base for the Tel Aviv Lightning
The Tel Aviv Lightning ( he, תל אביב לייטנינג) was an Israeli baseball team from Tel Aviv in the Israel Baseball League.
The Lightning finished the inaugural 2007 season in second place with a 26-14 (.650) record, and lost to the M ...
in the only year of the Israel Baseball League
The Israel Baseball League (IBL; Hebrew: ליגת הבייסבול הישראלית, ''Ligat ha-Beisbol ha-Israelit'') was a six-team professional baseball league in Israel. The first game was played on June 24, 2007.
League structure
The six ...
. He hit .347 and won the gold glove award for the best defensive infielder in the league. He was also one of the subjects of the award-winning film '' Holy Land Hardball'', about the league.
From 2013 to 2016, Fish lived in Israel and worked as the national director for the Israel Association of Baseball. He made aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
in 2013 to accept the position, and spent his time visiting Israeli schools to introduce kids to baseball.
While serving as director for Israel Baseball, Fish co-founded the program Baseball Le’Kulam (Baseball for All) to bring Arab and Jewish kids in Israel together. Baseball Le'Kulam was featured during the 2016 AIPAC conference in Washington DC.
Other
In 2008, Fish played for the Haar Disciples
The München-Haar Disciples (), officially named "Disciples München-Haar e.V. von 1990", is a baseball club founded in 1990 in Haar, a suburb of Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of ...
in Germany’s Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
.["Disciples replace injured Alexis Hernandez with Nate Fish,"]
April 8, 2003. He hit .320 while fielding .947 while playing third base and catching. He was Haar's #2 offensive producer, and was second in the league in fielding among starting third basemen.["Nate Fish,"]
DBV Onlinestats Spielerübersicht.
Fish has also played baseball professionally in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, and the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
.
Other ventures
Writing
Fish has a degree from the New School University
The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
in New York with a focus on creative writing.[Jerry Crasnick]
"Pro Baseball is coming back to Israel,"
ESPN. He has published features in '' Heeb Magazine'' and ''Leveled Magazine''."76 Seconds to Newcastle"
leveledmag.com. In 2012, he created the blo
King of Jewish Baseball
In 2016, he established the Brick of Gold Publishing Company. Fish's first book was '' Israelis Drive Anything'', a photo series of Israelis driving homemade vehicles.. He has since released two collections of poetry
98.6 Poems
an
Poems for My Wife: Love Poems for Non-Romantics
The Brick of Gold Publishing Company has also released two books of writing from California State Prisons edited by Fish
Man, I Wish We Would Have Known: Letters from Calipatria State Prison
an
Disconnected/Reconnected: Writing from Lancaster State Prison
Art
In 2002 Fish moved to Brooklyn in order to focus on visual arts. He is a self-taught artist. He had solo exhibitions in 2011 (Jellybeans) at Gallery Bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
, and in 2013 (Natureficial) at the Red Door Gallery in Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
.
References
External links
King of Jewish Baseball
Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Nate
1980 births
Living people
21st-century American artists
21st-century American writers
American male bloggers
Baseball catchers
Baseball outfielders
Baseball players from Ohio
Baseball shortstops
Baseball third basemen
Cape Cod Baseball League coaches
Cincinnati Bearcats baseball players
Israeli male bloggers
Jewish American baseball coaches
Israeli baseball players
Israeli Jews
Jewish American baseball players
People from Hanover, New Hampshire
Tel Aviv Lightning players
The New School alumni
Writers from Shaker Heights, Ohio
21st-century American Jews