This past weekend, Pakistan and Palestine met once again—this time in the Little Palestine Classic, held at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, Illinois.
The series marked a rematch of the 2025 West Asia Baseball Cup final in Iran, where Palestine stunned Pakistan in extra innings with a 5-4 victory to capture their first-ever international title as a national baseball team.
With added reinforcements from their North American-based talent pool, Pakistan entered the weekend with a mission—and delivered a strong response by sweeping the two-game series.
Pakistan Erupts Offensively in a 16-2 Rout in Game 1 – In the series opener, Pakistan showcased its firepower in a commanding 16-2 win over Palestine. Left-handed pitcher Fayz Baig, a 2026 commit to Long Island University, perhaps their best pitcher of the weekend, struck out six over three innings of work in relief.
Pakistan’s offense was jump-started in the first inning when Northwestern third baseman Ethan Borggren launched a two-run triple. In the fourth inning, Pakistan was led by back-to-back triples from Borggren and Jaden James, helping Pakistan reclaim the lead at 4-2—a lead they would never relinquish.
The game fully broke open in the ninth when Pakistan poured on seven additional runs, sealing the dominant victory. Japanese-born pitcher Moosa Nonomiya was impressive, tossing five innings and allowing just two runs to earn the win.
Pakistan Survives Late Scare in Game 2 Extra-Inning Thriller – Sunday’s matchup offered a much different narrative—a tightly contested battle that could have gone either way.
Palestine drew first blood in the bottom of the first, courtesy of Tariq Suboh’s RBI, their first lead of the series. But Pakistan responded quickly, tying the game 1-1 in the second when Mannan Syed drove a sharp grounder off the first base bag to plate a run.
Pakistan’s starting pitcher, Ameer Hasan, kept things in check, delivering five strong innings with five hits and one run allowed.
Palestine found a spark in the sixth inning after Hasan exited the game. An infield single put them ahead 2-1, and a well-executed bunt by Yousef Abbasi in the seventh, combined with a defensive error, extended the lead to 3-1 against the favored Pakistan side.
However, Pakistan rallied late. A wild pitch brought in a run, and a sacrifice fly by Iyad Ansari tied the game at 3-3 in the eighth. Palestine’s best pitcher of the weekend, 18-year-old Yacoub Rayan, had previously shut down Pakistan’s offense across five innings, surrendering just three hits and one run. He will be a cornerstone of the Palestine national team moving forward.
In the top of the 10th, Alex Khan delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly to give Pakistan a 4-3 lead. Moments later, a throwing error extended the margin to 5-3. In the bottom half, with the bases loaded and no outs, Pakistan reliever Amaan Khan executed a critical double play and induced a game-ending grounder to secure the 5-4 win and the series sweep.
Game 2 served as a showcase of the growing talent and intensity surrounding baseball in West Asia. Both programs will continue to be the dominant teams of the region and should see the rivalry only grow significantly in the coming years.
Next up for both teams is the prestigious Asian Baseball Championship, set to take place in China from September 22–29. Pakistan will compete in a group with Japan, China, and the Philippines, while Palestine will face stiff competition in a group featuring South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
With both programs fielding a lot of young talent, the upcoming tournament could mark another milestone moment for West Asian baseball—with both programs on the rise in international baseball.
