They arrived together in Japan as the toasts of the first round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Team Israel, a squad not many expected to qualify for this tournament, pulled off three upsets in South Korea to make an improbable run into the second round.
They team took a big step toward going even further than that on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over Cuba in the second-round opener.
The only people surprised were those outside the Israeli clubhouse. Inside, a group of mostly American players bound by the Jewish heritage have formed a tight-knit unit that is playing for each other, for Israel and for the chance to defy even more expectations and reach the championship round.