Team Israel’s exit from the World Baseball Classic is generating some serious buzz for reasons that go beyond dingers and double plays.
Israel officially failed to advance to the WBC quarterfinals after Monday’s loss to the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami, Fla. The Mensch fell to the Plátano Power 10-1, eliminating them in pool play.
FOX Sports posted a seemingly innocent graphic on social media to mark Israel’s ouster from the tournament. The post showed the Israeli flag with the words “Israel Eliminated” in large font.
“Israel has been eliminated from WBC title contention after their loss to the Dominican Republic,” the post’s caption read.
Israel has been eliminated from WBC title contention after their loss to the Dominican Republic. pic.twitter.com/EJiOGITkxA
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 9, 2026
With Israel and the US currently at war with Iran, the graphic was certainly eye-catching to say the least.
The post has been viewed over 8 million times and has received nearly 150 thousand likes as of writing, hilariously making it the most viral post related to the World Baseball Classic thus far.
Some fans felt like FOX Sports knew what it was doing with the post, considering Israel’s polarizing place in global political conflict of late. But FOX used the same post format whenever other teams were eliminated.
Panama has been eliminated from WBC title contention after their loss to Colombia. pic.twitter.com/D92fozcFmC
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 9, 2026
While 1-2 Israel still has a game left against the Netherlands, Monday’s result ensured that the Mensch cannot secure the top-two finish in Pool D needed to advance to the quarterfinals. Venezuela and the Dominican Republic lead the group with identical 3-0 records heading into their Wednesday face-off.
