A simple pickoff throw turned into a viral moment Tuesday night when Dean Kremer asked his new teammate Pete Alonso a basic question that caught everyone’s attention.
It happened during the Baltimore Orioles’ game against Detroit. Kremer threw over to first to keep the runner honest, but Alonso looked a bit awkward handling the ball.
That’s when Kremer stepped off the rubber and asked twice:
“Can you see?”
Dean Kremer asked Pete Alonso if he can see after Alonso looked surprised after a pick off attempt pic.twitter.com/D1gmew9Gbk
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 29, 2026
Fans on social media are reading it as Kremer calling out Alonso’s effort – basically saying, “What was that? Why didn’t you catch it cleanly?”
But that’s probably not what happened here.
Kremer was likely just checking if Alonso could actually see his pickoff throws clearly. Something looked off on that particular attempt, and the pitcher wanted to figure out why before throwing over again.
Stadiums can create all kinds of visual issues for fielders. Background colors, lighting, shadows – any of these could make it tough for a first baseman to pick up the ball cleanly on a pickoff throw.
Kremer has no way of knowing what Alonso’s seeing from first base without asking.
Sure, it’s a bit awkward to ask your teammate if he can see the ball. But it’s smarter than just firing another pickoff throw and watching it sail past him into right field.
Could Kremer have been sarcastic? Maybe. But he’s probably just thinking one step ahead, trying to avoid a bigger mess on the next throw.
