Kremer, an Israeli-American pitcher, is set to make his first playoff start for the Orioles, even though his family is currently impacted by war.

Israeli-American pitcher Dean Kremer will be starting his first playoff game for the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. As he takes the mound, his thoughts will be with his family members in Israel, who are currently facing the declaration of war due to a recent attack by the militant group Hamas.

Kremer expressed no doubt in his decision to pitch in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Texas Rangers, a crucial game that the Orioles must win in order to prolong their season.

Kremer expressed on Monday that although he still desires to pitch, the thought will linger in his mind.

The 27-year-old right-hander has dual citizenship, and much of his extended family lives in Israel. While not going into any details, Kremer said they were OK right now.

Kremer, who hails from Stockton, California, has a strong Israeli identity despite being born and raised there. He visits Israel annually and is proficient in Hebrew.

On Sunday, Kremer received the news that he would be the starting pitcher for Game 3. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had a conversation with Kremer during breakfast on Monday to discuss this.

“I expressed my support and condolences to him and his family who are involved, and he appeared to be fine,” Hyde stated. “Clearly, he is deeply troubled and there are many issues at play. However, I did not perceive that it would have an impact… I believe he is eagerly anticipating pitching tomorrow, so I did not anticipate it affecting him.”

Kremer mentioned that nearly everyone in the Orioles clubhouse, including the manager, has reached out to him at some time during the past few days.

Kremer expressed his gratitude for that.

Kremer is 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts this season, which included both of the Orioles’ clinching games. He allowed one run in five-plus innings of an 11-inning win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 17 that secured a playoff spot, and tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings Sept. 28 against Boston in the team’s 100th win – clinching the AL East title.

Kremer was the first Israeli ever taken in baseball’s amateur draft when the San Diego Padres got him in the 38th round in 2015. Kremer stayed in school then, but signed the following year after the Dodgers got him in the 14th round. He went to Baltimore as part of the 2018 trade that sent Manny Machado to Los Angeles, and made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2020.