WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC VS ISRAEL

March 9, 2026

Zach Levenson

LoanDepot Park

Team Israel

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Zach, you played for University of Miami, so you've been in this area a lot. How cool is it to step on the field in this ballpark and play meaningful games?

ZACH LEVENSON: It's great. I'm getting a lot of text messages about that from coaches and stuff. But just brings back good memories of college and just being in the city, living here for three years. It's all I could ever dream of, so it's been great.

Q. What does it mean to you to be able to play for the people of Israel?

ZACH LEVENSON: It's great, yeah. So both my parents are Jewish, so I was raised Jewish, and just being able to celebrate my heritage is awesome for my family.

Q. You've got a native Israeli on the team, Assaf Lowengart. Given every going on in Israel, is he talking to you guys about what's going on, giving reports or conversation about his home country?

ZACH LEVENSON: Yeah, I mean, we obviously are in support of Israel. I try not to look at it that way. I try to just keep my eyes on the field and do what we can to play winning baseball on the field and to raise awareness for Israel.

Q. As a follow-up to your growing up being Jewish and the pride you feel, have you gotten any texts from friend s in Israel? What's the feeling in the locker room about how you guys represented the country so beautifully and what your emotional feeling is in terms of your background. Also your bar mitzvah, was it a baseball theme?

ZACH LEVENSON: Actually a football theme. I have split family, half from Pittsburgh, half from Philadelphia, so it was a Pittsburgh Steelers themed party, just a bunch of NFL jerseys.

But no, it's great. A lot of my family is in Philly, and they've been showing a lot of support and love to what I'm doing here and putting on an Israel jersey. It's been awesome just to see everybody kind of show some pride with the country. It's been great.

Q. Any texts? Any friends in Israel who have been in touch with you about what's going on?

ZACH LEVENSON: Most of my family is in the States. But, yeah, I still would love to get over there when things settle down.

Q. You said the magic word: Pittsburgh. Do you talk to Spencer Horwitz a lot on the team?

ZACH LEVENSON: Yeah, Spencer is great. A lot of these guys are really good dudes. Spencer has been great.

Q. I'm writing a piece for the Post Gazette, so wanted to know your connection with Pittsburgh.

ZACH LEVENSON: My dad's side of the family grew up there and then my mom's side is from Philadelphia.

Q. When you talked to Spencer, did you make a bonding? Hey, I've got a Pittsburgh connection, too.

ZACH LEVENSON: Well, he just got there this past year, so he's still new to the city.

Q. I know it's been a relatively short time that you all have been together, but how has this group gelled here over this last week?

ZACH LEVENSON: I've actually been surprised. Like I said, they're a bunch of great guys. So it's been really easy to talk to everybody. Even all the big leaguer guys who are on the big league side, they're really open to any questions that we've got or stuff like that.

All these guys are amazing, and it's been really fun the last couple days.

Q. What has been some of your biggest takeaways from being around this coaching staff, Ausmua, Youkilis, everybody?

ZACH LEVENSON: Yeah, it's a very impressive staff. These coaches are the best I've had so far in professional baseball.

It's kind of just when they talk, you listen, and trying to soak everything in from these guys. I know they're a good group, and you should listen when they have something to say.

Q. I have to ask this. Zack Gelof, Zach Bornstein, Zach Weiss, how does it feel to be the latest Zach to contribute to the Team Israel cause?

ZACH LEVENSON: In the locker room, no one obviously says my name Zach. We just go by nickname or last name. But yeah, no, it's actually a funny coincidence.