Dodgers’ Alex Vesia honored with ovation after infant daughter’s tragic death

Perhaps for the primary time in 2026, Alex Vesia felt some normalcy on Friday night time.

The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher made his return to the pitcher’s mound in his first Major League outing since his infant daughter died simply 5 days after she was born.

Before the World Series, the left-hander left the staff to deal with a “deeply personal matter” and didn’t pitch within the Fall Classic.

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Days after the Dodgers gained the World Series, he and his spouse announced their infant daughter had died.

Vesia returned to the staff throughout spring coaching after which entered the Dodgers’ recreation in opposition to the Arizona Diamondbacks within the seventh inning of a 4-4 tie.

It was fairly the spot for Vesia to return, however given his 2.36 ERA during the last two seasons, it was no sweat. He left a runner stranded on second base and stored the D-Backs scoreless en path to the staff’s 5-4 win over their rival division.

Vesia set free a yell and pointed towards the Dodgers’ household part whereas getting a standing ovation from the gang.

Vesia was sporting a personalized pink glove with his daughter’s identify, Sterling Sol, stitched on it, alongside with her birthday and his spouse’s first preliminary, Ok for Kayla, embroidered on the glove’s ring finger.

Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in opposition to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the course of the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on March 27, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

DODGERS PITCHER’S WIFE LIVES THROUGH ‘BITTER SWEET’ OPENING DAY MONTHS AFTER INFANT DAUGHTER’S DEATH

“What I would give to have my Sterling girl here, carrying her in my heart always,” Kayla stated in an Instagram publish earlier this week to have fun a “bitter-sweet” opening day.

Sterling handed between Game 2 and Game 3 when the sequence was tied at one recreation apiece. During the Fall Classic, relievers from the Toronto Blue Jays wrote Vesia’s jersey quantity, 51, on their hats.

In his first information convention of the yr in spring coaching, Vesia referred to as his spouse “the strongest person that I know” and “a support system for me every bit as much as I am for her.”

“Life can change in an instant. For us, 10 minutes is all it took,” Vesia stated in February. “Sterling Sol was the most beautiful girl in the world. We got to hold her, change her diaper, read to her and love her. Our time together was far too short. Kay and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves.

“Stepping away from the staff, the brothers that I’m going to struggle with daily, was troublesome, but it surely was additionally a straightforward determination as a result of my household wanted me. We nonetheless watched each pitch of the World Series, and for us in so some ways, that was a light-weight in our darkness.

Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks the gang in the course of the 2025 Back-to-Back World Champions Ring Ceremony previous to the sport 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 through Getty Images)

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“I was not prepared to not bring my baby girl home, but we’re carrying her with us every day. It’s been hard, but we’re doing OK.”

The back-to-back reigning World Series champions are 2-0 to begin the MLB season.

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