Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla, announced their daughter, Sterling, died on Oct. 26. The couple posted the news on Instagram Friday night.
“Our little angel, we love you forever & you’re with us always,” they wrote in their post. “There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her.”
The pair had been expecting the birth of Sterling, their first child, when Vesia left the team before the start of the World Series due to a “deeply personal matter.”
“This is so much bigger than baseball,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said before the series.
Vesia’s status loomed over the series and hung heavy in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Before Game 3 — the day after Sterling’s passing — all of Vesia’s teammates in the bullpen wrote Vesia’s No. 51 on the side of their caps.
“Ves is such a big part of our squad and everything that we do, everything we’ve done,” reliever Justin Wrobleski said.
“The Vesia situation is playing on our hearts recently,” said Evan Phillips. “We certainly miss him on the field, but we know that we have his back and the support’s there for them while they’re going through this hard time.”
The Toronto Blue Jays’ relievers did their part to acknowledge the Vesia family’s ongoing situation, writing No. 51 on the sides of their caps for the final two games of the World Series.
“For those guys to do that, it’s incredible,” Kiké Hernández said before the Dodgers’ Game 7 win. “They’re trying to win a World Series, but they understand that this is — life is bigger than baseball, and baseball’s just a game. For them to do that with the stakes where we’re at, hats off to them, and I want them to know that we appreciate ’em.”
Blue Jays fans have also contributed to the effort, donating thousands to the SickKids foundation in the Vesias’ honor. Several Dodgers fans’ signs at the team’s World Series parade acknowledged the situation and offered their best to the Vesia family amid the celebration.
“Our baseball family showed up for us, and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” the Vesias wrote. “We have seen ALL your messages, comments and posts. It’s brought us so much comfort.”