The Petach Tikva Pioneers ( he, פתח תקווה פיונירס) was an Israeli

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team from

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

in 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 ...

. They finished the inaugural 2007 regular season in last place (9-32; .220), and lost to the Modi'in Miracle in the quarterfinals of the 2007 championship.

History

The name for the Pioneers was chosen in recognition that

was founded in 1878 by religious pioneers from

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, who were led by Yehoshua Stampfer,

Yoel Moshe Salomon Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

, Zerach Brant, and David Gutmann, as well as

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n Rabbi

Aryeh Leib Frumkin Aryeh Leib Frumkin ( he, אריה ליב פרומקין; 1845–1916)Frumkin Foundation Accessed 17 Oct. 2008 was a rabbi, Zionist, a founder and pioneer of Petah Tikva,Jewish Virtual LibraryRabbi Aryeh Leib Frumkin Accessed 17 Oct. 2008 the firs ...

. The first player selected by the Pioneers in the inaugural draft was Dominican outfielder Reynaldo Cruz, who later suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

and did not play for the rest of the season.

Ken Holtzman Kenneth Dale Holtzman (born November 3, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Chicago Cubs for whom he pitche ...

managed the Pioneers in the 2007 inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League, up until the last week of the season. Holtzman in his major league career was the only pitcher since the 1880s to throw 2 no-hitters for the Cubs, and his 174 career victories are the most in the major leagues by a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

pitcher. He also held the record for most pitching appearances by a Jewish pitcher until 1998.

Stadium

Located at the

Yarkon Sports Complex The Yarkon Sports Complex, is located in the Baptist Village in Petah Tikva, just outside Tel Aviv. The field was used in the 2007 season of the Israel Baseball League. During this season, both the Petach Tikva Pioneers and the Ra'anana Express T ...

Petach Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Jews of the Old Yishuv, and became a permanent set ...

2007 roster

Footnotes

External links

Official site of the Petach Tikva Pioneers
Baseball teams in Israel Sport in Petah Tikva {{Asia-baseball-team-stub