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Perhaps for the first time in 2026, Alex Vesia felt some normalcy on Friday night.
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher returned to the mound in his first major league outing since his infant daughter died just five days after birth.
Before the World Series, the left-hander left the team to deal with a “deeply personal matter” and did not pitch in the Fall Classic.
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Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia celebrates after the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Days after the Dodgers won the World Series, he and his wife announced his little daughter had died.
Vesia returned to the team during spring training and then entered the Dodgers’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning of a 4-4 tie.
It was a good place for Vesia to return to, but given his 2.36 ERA the last two seasons, it wasn’t a problem. He stranded a runner at second base and held the D-Backs scoreless en route to the team’s 5-4 victory over their division rival.
Vesia let out a shout and pointed toward the Dodgers family section as he received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Vesia wore a personalized pink glove with his daughter’s name, Sterling Sol, sewn on it, along with his birthday and his wife’s first initial, K for Kayla, embroidered on the ring finger of the glove.
Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on March 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
DODGERS PITCHER’S WIFE LIVES ‘BITTER SWEET’ OPENING DAY MONTHS AFTER HER DAUGHTER’S DEATH
“What I wouldn’t give to have my daughter Sterling here, always carrying her in my heart,” Kayla said in an Instagram post earlier this week to celebrate a “bittersweet” opening day.
Sterling went between Game 2 and Game 3 when the series was tied at one game apiece. During the Fall Classic, the relievers of the Toronto Blue Jays They wrote Vesia’s jersey number, 51, on their caps.
In his first spring training press conference of the year, Vesia called his wife “the strongest person I know” and “a support system for me as much as I am for her.”
“Life can change in an instant. For us, 10 minutes is all we need,” Vesia said in February. “Sterling Sol was the most beautiful little girl in the world. We were able to hold her, change her diaper, read to her and love her. Our time together was too short. Kay and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves.
“Moving away from the team, from the brothers that I go to war with every day, was difficult, but it was also an easy decision because my family needed me. We were still watching every pitch of the World Series, and for us, in many ways, that was a light in our darkness.
Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks the crowd during the 2025 Back-to-Back World Champions Ring Ceremony before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“I wasn’t prepared to not bring my baby home, but we take her with us every day. It’s been hard, but we’re doing well.”
The back-to-back reigning World Series champions are 2-0 to start the MLB season.
