In the debut of professional baseball in Israel, the Modi'in Miracle, led by Art Shamsky, beat Ken Holtzman's Petach Tikva Pioneers 9-1 on June 24 at the Pioneer's Baptist Village Field. Miracles' outfielder Adalberto Paulino went 2-4 with three runs scored, while catcher Eladio Rodriguez had two hits and three runs batted in. Petach Tikva's Ryan Crotin goes into the record books with the first home run in IBL history.

Andre Sternberg earned the league's first victory with two hitless innings; Abel Moreno took the loss.

West Caldwell's own Adam Goldman went hitless in two at-bats for the Pioneers.

During the opening ceremonies, all of the IBL's 120 players assembled along the foul lines as a crowd of more than 3,000 sang "Hatikva." IBL commissioner Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, threw out the honorary first pitch.

The game left some shaking their heads. On the one hand, Israelis, accustomed to basketball and soccer, will have to get used to the slower-moving sport. On the other hand are those baseball fans who have made aliya from baseball-playing countries. Will they accept a brand of the game that's akin to single-A minor leagues as better than no baseball at all? Early reports described spotty pitching and shaky defense. Even the broadcasters and public address announcers were scrambling to translate baseball terminology into Hebrew.

According to officials with the IBL, the first year will be a "learning experience," with adjustments made along the way. Marvin Goldklang, a member of the league's board of directors, told NJ Jewish News earlier this year that launching the sport professionally would be "a challenge, there's no question about it. I think we're doing our best to combine our love for Israel and baseball with the challenge of translating that into an economically viable undertaking."

In the meantime, the Warren resident whose company, the Florham-based Goldklang Group, owns or serves as a consultant to six minor league teams, preached patience. "As with the case of many new leagues, we'll need to wait until we see the reality in Israel to make an informed judgment on the long-term future. But I think it's also fair to say that every one of us involved in the effort is optimistic."

(In a poll conducted on the IBL Web site, 67 percent of nearly 200 respondents agreed: "It was a wonderful experience, great day for Israeli baseball.")

PBS will broadcast the game between Modi'in and Petach Tikva on Sunday, July 1, at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.