Sunday was a dream-come-true for Israeli pitcher Dean Kremer—and for tens of thousands of fans of baseball in the Holy Land and around the world. Kremer, 24, became the first Israeli citizen by birth to play in the Major Leagues and his debut was a memorable one as he pitched a gem to lead his Baltimore Orioles to a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees.
The Kremer Show. pic.twitter.com/69hfqkaEIb
— Baltimore Orioles ???? (@Orioles) September 6, 2020
Kremer allowed just 1 run on 1 hit through 6 innings to claim the victory. He struck out 7, which was the most by an Orioles pitcher in his MLB debut in over two decades! With pitches reaching 96 miles per hour (155 kph), Kremer struck out the first two batters he faced. He ran into a little bit of trouble when the Yankees got their lone hit against him and scored in the second inning, but then Kremer retired 11 consecutive hitters and left the game after 6 innings with his team ahead 4-1.
Dean Kremer's seven strikeouts are the most by an Oriole in his debut since John Parrish struck out nine Yankees on July 24, 2000.
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) September 6, 2020
"It is with tremendous pride that I watched as a product of our youth and adult national programs excelled in his Major League debut against the New York Yankees," Jordy Alter, the president of the Israeli Association of Baseball said. "We have watched Dean grow up as a member of our national teams, often outperforming our competition, and it was great to share this gift with the world tonight. The IAB and Israel Olympic team look forward to watching Dean in what promises to be a long and successful MLB career."
Met Dean when he was 14. Undersized outfielder hoping to play college baseball. Making his Big League Debut as a RHP today. Been his coach, his teammate, now his fan. Watching with my brothers from @ILBaseball. @DJ_KREY6 pic.twitter.com/sFWVAmKMsz
— KingofJewishBaseball (@kingofJbaseball) September 6, 2020
Kremer joined Team Israel catcher Ryan Lavarnway as the second Israeli citizen to play in the Major Leagues this season. They are the only Israelis to ever play in the Majors in the history of the game.