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The start of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2026 season was supposed to be Alex Vesia’s first as a father, but the unimaginable happened.
Before the World Series, the relief pitcher left the team to attend to a “deeply personal matter” and did not participate in the Fall Classic.
Days after the Dodgers won the World Series, he and his wife announced that their baby daughter had died.
Vesia was back at Chavez Ravine Thursday for opening day, which his wife called “very bittersweet.”
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Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers returns to the dugout during Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“What I would give to have my daughter Sterling here, and always carry her in my heart,” Vesia’s wife Kayla said in an Instagram post.
In his first spring training press conference of the year, Vesia called his wife “the strongest person I know” and “a support system to me just as much as I am to her.”
“Life can change in an instant. For us, 10 minutes is enough,” Vesia said 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 on her. Our time together was far too short. Kay and I will treasure those moments and memories for us.
Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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“Walking 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 always watched every pitch of the World Series, and for us, in many ways, it was a light in our darkness.
“I wasn’t ready to not bring my little girl home, but we carry her with us every day. It’s been difficult, but we’re doing well.”
Sterling died between Game 2 and Game 3 when the series was tied at one game apiece. During the Fall Classic, Toronto Blue Jays relievers wrote Vesia’s jersey number, 51, on their hats.
Kayla Vesia and Alex Vesia attend Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: Dodgers Comedy Night at Orpheum Theater on May 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Vesia did not play in the Dodgers’ 8-2 season-opening victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he will have the opportunity to stand out Friday in Los Angeles.
Vesia has a 2.36 ERA over his last two seasons.
