ARLINGTON, Texas — Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer will have more than baseball on his mind when he takes the mound in his first playoff start on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Israeli-American will be thinking about the safety of his family in Israel as war rages in the Middle East.
“I still want to pitch, but, I mean, it’s going to be in the back of my head,” Kremer told reporters on Monday on the eve of a must-win Game 3 for Baltimore against the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series. “Obviously, it’s a very sad situation. A lot of things are being brought to light. But everybody’s OK right now.”
Kremer, in his fourth season in the majors with Baltimore, has dual citizenship with Israel and the U.S., The Washington Post reported.
Hamas, a militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched an attack on Israel on Saturday, according to the newspaper. Israel responded with airstrikes in an area that is populated by 2.1 million people.
On Monday, Hamas threatened to kill hostages if the attacks continue.
Kremer still has extended family members in Israel and lives there two months each year, WJZ-TV reported.
Kremer was born and raised in Stockton, California, according to Baseball-Reference.com. His parents are from Israel, The Associated Press reported.
When he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the MLB draft, he became the first Israeli player drafted and signed by a team, according to the Post. He pitched for Team Israel during the World Baseball Classic in 2017 and 2023, the newspaper reported.
The right-hander went 13-5 for the Orioles, who won the American League East division this season. The Orioles won 24 of the 32 games Kremer started this season, the Post reported.
Kremer learned Sunday he would be starting Game 3, according to the newspaper. The Orioles trail the Rangers 2-0 in the best-of-five series, and Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde told reporters he checked in with the pitcher during breakfast on Monday, the AP reported.
“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 added that nearly every one of his teammates stopped to check with him over the past 48 hours, the Post reported.
“I’m very grateful for that,” told reporters.