SPORTS
C
oach Josh Birnberg’s
West Bloomfield
High School baseball
team experienced a season
that had a little of every-
thing.
Big victories in arguably
the toughest high school
baseball league in the state.
A season-long state ranking
in Division 1. A crushing
season-ending defeat. And
an opportunity to play in a
big-league ballpark.
For West Bloomfield
junior catcher Max Gross,
son of Daniel Gross, cantor
at Adat Shalom Synagogue
in Farmington Hills, it was
a season that began with his
recovery from a compound
dislocation of his right pin-
kie finger suffered in late
February while playing bas-
ketball with friends.
It ended with him becom-
ing the Lakers’ everyday
catcher and one of their top
hitters, slotted in the No. 5
spot in the batting lineup.
No. 14-ranked West
Bloomfield lost 1-0 in 11
innings to Lake Orion on June
3 in a Division 1 district semi-
final game on the Lakers’ home
diamond. The game ended
with a walk-off walk (Lake
Orion was the home team).
Gross caught all 11 innings
of the game and was solid
defensively. He also had two
of West Bloomfield’s eight
hits, both singles, and finished
the season with a .365 batting
average and a .490 on-base
percentage.
“The finger injury really
didn’t affect Max as a baseball
player,” Birnberg said. “He
ended up catching about 25 of
our 38 games.”
That’s remarkable consid-
ering the injury was on the
pinkie finger of Gross’ throw-
ing hand and the bottom
hand when he’s batting (he’s a
left-handed batter).
Gross loves his time behind
the plate. Apparently, it’s not
as dangerous as basketball.
“You’re always doing some-
thing during a game,” he said.
“You always have an impact on
what’s happening. I enjoy that.”
West Bloomfield (27-11,
11-7) tied with Lake Orion for
second place in the Oakland
Activities Association Red
Division, two games behind
champion Rochester Adams.
Clarkston, Oxford, Rochester
and Rochester Hills Stony
Creek also were in the division.
“We beat Lake Orion in two
of three games in the league
season, so I consider us the
second-place team in the
league,” Birnberg said.
After losing their first league
matchup with the Dragons 8-1,
the Lakers beat Lake Orion
10-0 and 4-2. The games were
played May 15, 16 and 18.
Lake Orion got its revenge
in the district game against
West Bloomfield and went on
to stun three-time defend-
ing state champion and No.
1-ranked Orchard Lake St.
Mary’s 3-2 in the district
championship game.
Another highlight of the
season for West Bloomfield
was a May 7 game the Lakers
played at Comerica Park vs.
South Lyon.
“We treated it 100% as an
exhibition game,” Birnberg
said.
That’s because the game
had a time limit, there were
tarps placed in front and
behind the batters’ boxes,
everyone on each team batted
(21 players suited up for West
Bloomfield), players batted
out of order, there was free
substitution, and top pitchers
didn’t throw.
“It’s more of a once-in-
a-lifetime experience to
play (a non-league game) at
Comerica than a real game,”
Birnberg said. “The Tigers set
up those games after you tell
them you want to play there.
They select the date of the
game and who you play.”
For the record, South Lyon
beat West Bloomfield 6-2.
Besides their Jewish coach
and Gross, there were four
other Jewish players on West
Bloomfield roster.
They were senior catcher
Jacob Mills, senior utility
player/pitcher Quinn Lewis,
and junior pitchers Ari
Klinger and Andre Landau.
Birnberg, a former star
shortstop for West Bloomfield,
has been the Lakers’ coach for
four years.
Send sports news to
stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
Catcher Max Gross’ strong season is
a highlight for the state-ranked West
Bloomfield High School baseball team.
Ups and Downs
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
56 | JUNE 15 • 2023
That’s Max Gross behind the plate at Comerica Park.
Max Gross soaks in the big-league atmosphere from
the visitors’ dugout at Comerica Park.
JODI MILLS
JODI MILLS