Bernstein's Back For Another Crack at Gold

He’s a ferocious competitor on the softball diamond, often found wearing his signature eye black even on overcast days.

He’s a fearless and vocal leader, known for picking up his teammates and letting his bat do the talking in the clutch.

His name is Les Bernstein. His number is 33. He'll be representing Canada on the Men's Open team at the 20th Maccabiah.

And he’s Maccabi Canada Softball’s most decorated champion of the last 10 years.

Since 2005, the 46-year-old Toronto native has been a fixture for Team Canada as a scrappy and hard-nosed leadoff man and outfielder. Over that decade-long span, Canada has won three gold medals in men’s softball: Masters ’07 (Argentina), Open ’09 (Israel) and Masters ’13 (Israel). Bernstein is the only player who can lay claim to being a member of all three gold medal teams.

But it’s hardly a case of Bernstein being a lucky benefactor of playing on the right team at the right time. To the contrary, Bernstein’s found himself front and centre repeatedly with the game on the line against Canada’s arch-rival, making a name for himself versus Team USA because of his knack for coming up big when it matters most.

At the Pan-Am Games in 2007 in Buenos Aires, Bernstein represented Canada in Maccabi’s first ever Masters softball tournament for players 35 years and over. With the game tied late in their semifinal vs. USA, Bernstein stepped up to the plate against the legendary American pitcher Dave Blackburn, who had tossed a gem up to that point. Canada desperately needed a run, and a win, to earn a bye into the Masters’ gold medal game.

Bernstein would go on to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run for Canada in defeating Blackburn and the U.S. in a close game. The very next day, Canada would blow out the Americans in the final to capture gold.

Fast forward to 2009, where the seemingly ageless Bernstein returned to the Men’s Open team to reunite with his old mates, who won silver just four years earlier in Israel. After playing a pivotal role in helping Canada post a perfect 10-0 record in round-robin play, Bernstein was once again thrust into the spotlight with gold on the line vs. Team USA. After drawing a leadoff walk, #33 found himself on second base in a tie game in the bottom of the 7th inning, representing the gold medal winning run.

A single by 1B Mike Singer scored Bernstein with the winning run. The walkoff win gave Canada their first Maccabi Men’s Open softball gold in 12 years and Bernstein his second in as many Games.

After taking home his fourth Maccabi medal, a silver, at the 2011 Pan-Am Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil (he finished with a .400 batting average and came through again with a pivotal three-run, inside-the-park home run to help beat Panama in the semis), Bernstein returned to Israel in 2013 in search of another first place finish. Only this time, he would be back with his “old” friends, trying to strike Masters' gold for the first time since 2007 in Argentina.

In typical fashion, the gold medal would come down to another classic rematch between the U.S. and Canada. It looked good for the red and white, who held a 3-2 lead heading into the last inning. Canada was just three outs away from grabbing the gold. Then the wheels fell off.

The U.S. rallied for four runs in the top of the 7th to take a 6-3 lead. The team was despondent. But it was Bernstein who embodied the never-say-die attitude that it would take to help rally the team to an improbable comeback.

Canada needed baserunners. Bernstein was due up second. With one out, Bernstein grinded out an at-bat against American pitcher Russ Snow, who was starting to labour, by beating out an infield single.

That hit would ultimately set in motion the greatest comeback in Maccabi softball history.

After a hit batsman and another infield single, Bernstein stood on third base with the bases loaded. Up to the plate stepped Canada’s catcher, David Goldstein. The rest, as they say, is history.

Goldstein's dramatic, game-winning hit gave Canada a walkoff win for the gold. It would also give Bernstein his third career gold medal and fifth medal in as many Games.

An incredible accomplishment for one of this country’s most dedicated, respected – and clutch – ballplayers to ever dawn the maple leaf.