Israel's first professional baseball league is set to “play ball” later this month, fulfilling a long-time dream of many American Jews.
The inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League (IBL) will open with a game between the Modi'in Miracle and the Petah Tikvah Pioneers at the latter's home field on Sunday, June 24.
Six teams in all will participate this year, with a schedule of 46 regular games, an all-star game and a championship game between the top two teams.
Players from nine different countries were drafted to play in Israel, as were about a dozen native Israelis. Most of the players, though not all, are Jewish, reported Israel National News.
The baseball season will be accompanied by a summer-long series of baseball camps for Israeli youth.