As Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer heads to the mound Tuesday down 2-0 in the ALDS against against the Texas Rangers, he'll be doing so while knowing that his parents are trapped in Israel after war has been declared following a deadly attack by the militant organization Hamas.
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Kremer on the mound for Game 3. pic.twitter.com/7EatEPBCPh
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) October 9, 2023
"I still want to pitch, but, I mean, it's going to be in the back of my head," Kremer said.
Dean Kremer.
The lasting piece of the big trade.
The constant arm since late 2020.
Tonight, Dean goes into the biggest game he’s ever pitched with a lot on his back, mind and heart.
We’re all with you, Dean. Tonight is your night.#SoakItIn— Jason Benowitz (@jbenowitz1831) October 10, 2023
Kremer, 27, has dual citizenship, and a lot of his extended family resides in Israel.
According to ESPN, Kremer said his family wasn't OK right now but didn't disclose any details.
Identifying as Israeli, Kremer was born in Stockton, California. He's fluent in Hebrew and spends time each year in Israel.
Kremer found out he'd be starting Game 3 a day after the attacks, and manager Brandon Hyde said he talked to him further about the situation.
"Gave him my support and sympathies for him and his family that's involved, and he seemed OK," Hyde said. "Obviously, he's very disturbed and there's a lot of things going on. But I didn't sense that it was going to affect ... I think he's really looking forward to pitching tomorrow so I didn't think it was going to affect him."
Kremer also said he's "very grateful" that everybody in the Orioles clubhouse has checked in with him.
Kremer is 13-5 this season with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts. He's also thrown 157 strikeouts across 172?..." innings. In his last start against the Boston Red Sox, Kremer didn't surrender a run across just over five innings and struck out eight batters.
The right-handed pitcher was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 38th round of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft out of San Joaquin Delta College but opted to attend the University of Nevada. He was then selected in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He made his first appearance in 2020.
