Alex Vesia stood at Camelback Ranch on Friday morning, wiped his eyes, and stared at his phone. For six minutes, the 29-year-old left-hander addressed reporters for the first time since his newborn daughter, Sterling Sol, died on Oct. 26, two days after the World Series began.
He stopped to catch his breath. He touched his heart. He asked for privacy. And he delivered a message that transcended anything that happens between the white lines.
“I was not prepared to not bring my baby girl home,” Vesia said. “But we’re carrying her with us every day. It’s been hard, but we’re doing OK.”
Dodgers, Blue Jays Relievers Honor Vesia During World Series
Vesia and his wife, Kayla, watched every pitch of the seven-game World Series from their Arizona home. They watched the Dodgers battle the Toronto Blue Jays. They watched Los Angeles fall behind, claw back, and ultimately become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to repeat as champions. And they noticed something on Louie Varland’s cap.
No. 51. Vesia’s number.
He texted Gus Varland, Louie’s brother and a former teammate, to ask if he was seeing things correctly. The response came back immediately: “The Varlands love you, dude. The whole Toronto bullpen has it, too. It’s bigger than baseball. We love you all.”
The Dodgers relievers had been wearing the tribute throughout the series. The Blue Jays joined them for Game 6. Two bullpens, one World Series, unified in grief for a teammate they’d never met on the opposing side.
“We were super overwhelmed with emotion,” Vesia said. “The baseball community, the relationships that you make along the way, it showed that it’s much bigger than baseball.”
Vesia went 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 68 regular-season games and was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven postseason appearances before stepping away. He was arguably the Dodgers’ most reliable reliever all year, a stabilizing force in a bullpen that struggled through stretches of the summer. And then he wasn’t there for October’s final act.
The Dodgers didn’t place him on the bereavement list or the family medical emergency list. They simply told him to be with his family. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the time they didn’t want any pressure on him, any clock ticking in the background. This was bigger than baseball.
The Los Angeles Rams sent a signed jersey with Sterling’s name on the back. The couple plans to frame it.
Vesia Urges Others to Seek Help After Tragedy
Vesia revealed that he and Kayla started therapy six weeks ago. The acknowledgment came near the end of his statement, a plea to anyone who has faced similar tragedy.
“It hasn’t been easy, but talking to someone has made a difference,” he said. “For those out there who have lost a child, or are fighting through any struggle, if you can take anything from this, please seek help. Talk to somebody. It’s definitely helped Kay and I. Please don’t be afraid to speak up. Your mental health matters.”
He spoke about Sterling with the tenderness of a father who measured his time with his daughter in minutes, not months.
“The lessons we’ve learned from this is that life can change in an instant,” Vesia said. “For us, 10 minutes is all it took. 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.”
He returned to Arizona in early November and got back in the gym almost immediately. He called the routine therapeutic, a form of mental clarity. Now he’s back with his teammates, throwing bullpen sessions, preparing for a season that will ask him to compartmentalize the heaviest grief imaginable.
Vesia did not take questions. He read from his phone, paused when his voice caught, and walked away when he finished.
The Dodgers are chasing a three-peat. Vesia is chasing something harder to define. He and Kayla are carrying Sterling with them, he said, every single day. The baseball is secondary. The healing is not.