St. John's University Athletics
Team Israel Wins Pool A at World Baseball Classic
3/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Led by a pair of former St. John's standouts, the Israeli national team shocked the baseball world this past week, claiming three-straight victories in Seoul, South Korea, to win Pool A of the World Baseball Classic and advance to the second round of the tournament.
An undisputed underdog heading into the tournament, Israel rattled off three wins in as many days in Seoul, beating the host team South Korea, 2-1, on Monday in extra innings before downing Chinese Taipei, 15-7, the following day. Israel then closed out the first round of pool play with a 4-2 victory over the Netherlands late Wednesday night.
Alex Katz, a 27th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2015 MLB Draft, made two appearances for Israel, throwing a perfect inning of relief on Monday in the team's win over South Korea before tossing another scoreless inning in the squad's victory of the Netherlands on Wednesday. In three years with the Johnnies, Katz asserted himself as one of the most dominant southpaws in the BIG EAST. As a junior in 2015, Katz helped lead the Red Storm to its conference record eighth BIG EAST title, going 3-1 with a 3.40 in 19 appearances, six of which were starts.
Danny Burawa, a 12th round draft pick for the Johnnies in 2010 who has gone on to make big league appearances with the Braves and the Yankees, threw a frame of scoreless relief in Israel's win over Chinese Taipei, allowing only one hit and striking out one. In his one year with St. John's in 2010, Burawa made 30 relief appearances and recorded 12 saves, the fifth-highest single-season total in school history, en route to a BIG EAST title.
Israel will next be in action on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET against Cuba in Tokyo. The second round is also a round robin format, featuring Israel, the Netherlands, Japan and Cuba.
