Kremer stymies Yankees in MLB debut for 5-1 win
BALTIMORE (AP) — Dean Kremer fully understood the connotation of making his major league debut on the mound against the New York Yankees.
“They’re a storied franchise, they always have power hitters, guys good with the bat,” the Orioles right-hander said.
The Yankees’ current injurydepleted roster doesn’t exactly contain a whole lot of Bronx Bombers, but Kremer may decide to gloss over that tiny detail when he tells the story of his first big league game.
Kremer allowed one hit over six innings and struck out seven, DJ Stewart homered off Masahiro Tanaka and Baltimore beat the skidding Yankees 5-1 on Sunday.
New York committed two errors, allowed three unearned runs and finished with only four hits. The Yankees lost three of four to the Orioles and are 5-13 since starting 16-6.
“I’ve got to do a better job of creating that environment where guys are coming in and getting the right things done and putting themselves in the right frame of mind,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously the season’s getting shorter and shorter.”
The Orioles, meanwhile, are finally benefiting from the rebuilding strategy of swapping established talent for youthful potential.
The 24-year-old Kremer came to the Orioles organization in July 2018 as part of the trade that sent Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kremer worked his way through Baltimore’s minor league system and finally reached the point where the club wanted to see what he could do in the big leagues.
The right-hander did not disappoint. He allowed one run, walked three and retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced.
“He really acted like he’d been there before,” Orioles catcher Bryan Holaday said.
“You wouldn’t have been able to tell it was his first time out.”
Kremer’s lone brush with trouble came in the second inning, when New York used two walks and a single by Miguel Andújar to load the bases with one out. Erik Kratz drove in a run with a force play at third before Kremer struck out Tyler Wade.
“I was really impressed with that second inning, to be able to wiggle out of it only allowing a run,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “That showed a lot about his character and poise.”
After that, Kremer (1-0) retired 10 straight, then walked Luke Voit in the sixth. He ended his outing by getting Brett Gardner on a flyball and striking out cleanup hitter Clint Frazier.
The Yankees went quietly in another listless performance. After winning the opener of the series to extend its winning streak of Baltimore to 19, New York lost the final three by a collective 17-5 score.