Alon Leichman was en route home to Israel to celebrate his wedding with family when he received a call from the Colorado Rockies’ manager: He had just been hired as the team’s head pitching coach, a first for any Israeli.

Leichman, who grew up on Kibbutz Gezer and was first introduced to baseball on a field his father built , had just wrapped up a season as assistant pitching coach for the Miami Marlins when he received the news on Saturday.

“Thank you Miami! You’ve changed my life. Can’t wait for what’s next with the Rockies and Colorado ,” wrote Leichman in a post on Instagram announcing the move this week.

Before joining the Marlins, Leichman served as the assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds the previous two years. Earlier in his career, he also played and coached fo

See Full Page