By Marvin Azrak

Nobody beats the Maccabees 101 times straight. On a cool April afternoon that started with heartbreak and ended in a long-overdue celebration, Yeshiva University’s baseball team finally said goodbye to a 100-game losing streak over three years.

The boys in blue found their moment Tuesday at Fairleigh Dickinson University, beating Lehman College 9-5 in Game 2 of a non-conference doubleheader. The win marked the Maccabees’ first since February 27, 2022—and it felt like a weight had been lifted off the shoulders of everyone who’s ever worn their colors.

Heading into Tuesday, this matchup between Yeshiva and Lehman was drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. Between the two Division III programs, a staggering 141 consecutive games had ended in defeat. These schools were desperate to turn the page on years of futility, going head-to-head in what comic (and YU alum) Eitan Levine jokingly dubbed “statistically, the worst baseball game of all time.” Ironically, it was the worst baseball weather as the showdown took place in 40 degree weather with 30 MPH wind. However, if you’ve ever rooted for an underdog, you know there’s something beautiful about moments like this.

The crowd was clearly rooting for the Maccabees, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Some were YU students who’d made the quick trip over the George Washington Bridge. Others just couldn’t resist getting behind a team that had dropped 99 straight. When you’re that deep in a losing streak, you stop being just a baseball team—you become a cause people want to rally around.

In Game 1, Yeshiva nearly ended the streak at 99. Holding a 6-4 lead going into the seventh, the Macs were just three outs away. Then Lehman rallied—Brandon Deynes delivered a two-run double to tie it, and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in extras pushed across the go-ahead run for a 7-6 Lehman win. Justin Chamorro – eight Innings, nine hits, six runs,  (five earned)  13 strikeouts, one walk , pitched a complete game for the historic victory. One skid was broken (Lehman’s 42-game losing streak ended), and YU’s heartbreak continued—for one more game while reaching triple-digits and falling to 0-18 all-time against their counterparts.

In Game 2, Yeshiva jumped on Lehman early, putting up three runs in the first and four more in the third. This time, they never looked back.

Jake Arnow was unstoppable at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored. First baseman Noah Steinmetz, son of basketball coach Elliot and brother of Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Jacob, chipped in with two hits and two RBIs and even took the mound to record the game’s final two outs. Former Flatbush Falcon Eli Zirdok pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing just five hits and earning the win.

Third baseman Aharon Weiden added two hits, and the Macs played with the energy and swagger that had eluded them for 1,136 days.

Yes, the number is jarring—100 straight losses. Yet, it’s also a testament to perseverance, belief, and brotherhood. The team never quit. They showed up, practiced, traveled, and played with heart through every one of those 100 defeats. Finally, perseverance has its reward. For context, the streak isn’t the longest in NCAA history. Caltech holds that unfortunate distinction with 228 straight losses from 2003 to 2013. Still, for the Maccabees, this triumph meant everything—not just for the guys on the field but also for the alums, fans, parents, and the school community that kept believing. The victory was their national championship.

Caption: Noah Steinmetz drives in a run extending the Maccabees lead en route to their 9-5 victory over Lehman, snapping their 100 game losing-streak. (MacsLive)

There are eight more games on the 28-game schedule. Yes, one win doesn’t erase years of tough breaks and growing pains. YU is a lowly 1-19 in 2025. Yet you can throw that out the window because, for one night the Macs showed they belong on an NCAA diamond. Yeshiva baseball is no longer a team searching for its elusive win. They’ve found it and are ready for more.