SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Former Union College All-American Jake Fishman '18 will be taking his game to the international stage next week as the former Dutchman standout represents Israel at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Fishman is one of 12 pitchers on the roster for the 24-man Team Israel squad, which features eight players with Major League experience, headlined by four-time All-Star Ian Kinsler. This year marks the first time that Israel has qualified for the Olympics in baseball, which has been a sport at five previous Olympiads.
"The Olympics has been a very surreal experience," Fishman said. "Being able to walk the same roads, train in the same facilities and share this experience with the best athletes in the world is something I never dreamed of doing. Everybody here has trained their entire lives to get to this point and everybody has a great amount of respect for each other. I could not be more excited to be here and experience this with the rest of my team."
READ MORE: Sharon Lefthander is Pitching for Israel at Tokyo Olympics (Boston Globe)
Fishman was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 30th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, forgoing his senior season to begin his professional career. The lefthander quickly rose through the ranks of the Blue Jay organization to reach the AAA level in 2018. He was selected by the Miami Marlins with the 12th pick of the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December and is 2-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 34.0 innings with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (AAA) so far in 2021, including a season-high 4.1 innings with six strikeouts and three hits allowed last Friday against Durham.
Fishman reached the professional level following a stellar three-year career with the Dutchmen. As a junior, he was named a D3baseball.com first-team All-American after posting a 7-0 record and leading Division III with a 0.41 earned run average. An All-Region selection in all three seasons by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association, he was named the Liberty League Player and Pitcher of the Year in his final season and finished his career 18-2 with a 1.36 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 171.2 innings. In addition to being Union's all-time leader in ERA, wins, strikeouts (177) and opponent's batting average (.211), he also excelled at the plate for the Dutchmen, ranking third in batting average (.410), fourth in on-base percentage (.477) and eighth in hits (143) at the school.
Off the field, Fishman was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a Dean's List student at Union. After leaving the school in 2016 to play professionally, Fishman continued his studies and graduated from Union in 2018 with a degree in managerial economics.
Team Israel, which is in Group B as part of the group stage, will begin its Olympic schedule on July 29 against South Korea and is also scheduled to face off with Team USA on July 30. Both games are scheduled for 6 a.m. Eastern.
READ MORE: Former Union Baseball Standout Fishman Looks Back at Olympic Experience (Daily Gazette)
