A 19-year-old just shocked the 2023 World Baseball Classic and much of the baseball world. Jacob Steinmetz of Israel took the mound against the fearsome Dominican Republic and their awesome lineup in the WBC.
So what did Steinmetz do? Oh, you know, the casual stuff. Just striking out multi-time All-Star and 2022 NL MVP finalist, Manny Machado.
The FOX Sports MLB account spotlighted the shocking feat. He fooled Machado with a “nasty” slider as described by the color commentator on the game.
Steinmetz is the latest unknown to make a huge mark at the 2023 WBC. 21-year-old Duque Hebbert also made his presence felt against the Dominican Republic team. The Nicaraguan pitcher struck out All-Stars Juan Soto, Rafael Devers, and Julio Rodríguez. For his troubles, he earned a minor-league contract with the Miami Marlins.
Who knows if a similar fate will await Steinmetz? But this is quite an achievement. Manny Machado is one of the best hitters in the entire world. Machado’s career K% is only 17 percent and while he did post a mark exceeding 20% last season, he also put together one of the best years of his entire career last season too. He is an extremely feared hitter.
But don’t tell that to Steinmetz, who punched him out in a huge moment at the WBC. Perhaps he’ll the latest star born at this event.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022