Alon Leichman, former assistant pitching coach for the Miami Marlins, looks on before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 18, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Grace Gilson | JTA

Alon Leichman was en route home to Israel to celebrate his wedding with family when he made a group chat with the new coaching staff for the Colorado Rockies to begin planning for his new role 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 earlier this month.

“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.

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 for Team Israel, including a stint as bullpen coach at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

In March, Leichman is expected to be the head pitching coach for Team Israel at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Leichman’s latest accolade appears to make him the first Israeli to hold a head pitching coach position in the MLB. (In February 2024, Assaf Lowengart made pro-baseball history as the first first Israeli-born position player to secure a contract in the United States.)

Leichman will be joined on the Rockies by Gabe Ribas, who will serve as the assistant pitching coach, and Matt Buschmann, who will be the bullpen coach.

“I was on the flight home to Israel when Buschmann was officially on board, so we quickly created a little group chat,” Leichman said in a Rockies press release. “We’re going to enjoy these few days, answer phone calls, call players, say our ‘thank yous’ and get to work.”

Leichman has difficult work ahead of him. The Rockies play at Denver’s high altitude, which allows hit balls to travel further, and had the worst record in Major League Baseball with 119 losses last season. Their pitching staff had the highest earned run average among all 30 MLB teams.