Stephen Allan Hertz (February 26, 1945 â December 4, 2025) was an American Major League Baseball player. He was also manager of the Tel Aviv Lightning in the Israel Baseball League. He attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and was Jewish.
Hertz made his major league debut in 1964 with the Houston Colt .45s and played in five games.
In 2007, Hertz was manager of the Tel Aviv Lightning in the lone season of the Israel Baseball League. The Lightning finished the regular season in second place with a 26âÂÂ14 (.650) record, and lost to the Modi'in Miracle in the playoff semifinals.
Hertz coached baseball teams at Miami Coral Park High School, Miami Southridge High School, and Miami Dade-Wolfson Community College.
Hertz died in Miami, Florida, on December 4, 2025, at the age of 80.
In 1985, Hertz was inducted into the Miami High School Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Florida Community College Activities Association Hall of Fame.
This chapter in Ruttman's history, based on a June 24, 2007, interview with Hertz conducted for the book, discusses Hertz's American, Jewish, baseball, and life experiences from youth to the present.