Goldstein, who was born in 1908 in Odesa, Russian Empire (now part of Ukraine), was Jewish,[1] and moved with his family to the Bronx in New York City as a boy.

[2] Goldstein again returned to semipro baseball, this time with a team from Long Island, as a right-handed, 6 feet (1.8 m), 160 pounds (73 kg) pitcher.

[2][3] The Tigers signed Goldstein and assigned him to the Wheeling Stogies of the Mid-Atlantic League where he compiled a 12–9 record and a 3.61 ERA in 1928.

He also compiled a .294 batting average (5 for 17) showed considerable talent, Izzy's skills were not fully harnessed during his short stay in the majors.

[2] Goldstein finished the 1932 season with the Class AA Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League.

Goldstein retired from baseball after the 1938 season and began selling men's clothing in New York City.