It’s only April, but Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia may have already earned the most emotional save of the season.
Facing the visiting New York Mets with a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called on Vesia to take the mound rather than the team’s $17 million closer Edwin Diaz.
That decision was welcome news in one private suite at Dodger Stadium where some doctors and nurses were taking in the evening game. As was revealed on the broadcast, those healthcare professionals actually treated Vesia’s late daughter, Sterling Sol, who tragically died shortly after her birth last October.
Vesia, it turned out, had invited the group of 30 hospital workers to the Dodgers’ annual Healthcare Appreciation Night.
But aside from the tickets, the biggest thrill for Vesia and his new fans was his spotless ninth inning in which he struck out the side.
‘I’m gonna cry, man,’ Vesia told the Dodgers’ broadcaster, Spectrum Sportsnet. ‘Very emotional day. Everyone up there played a very, very, very big part. [My wife Kayla] and I are just so happy to be able to share today [with them]. To be able to get a save, it’s unbelievable.
An emotional Alex Vesia fights back tears after earning his second save of the season
Vesia invited 30 hospital workers to the game after they treated his late daughter in October
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and his wife, Kayla, lost their baby girl, Sterling, last year
‘I have a much bigger respect for all of them,’ he later said of the healthcare workers in the crowd. ‘Today was the first time I’ve seen pretty much all of them since everything. So it was very special, very emotional. One of the main, main nurses, she was here tonight, too.
‘That was awesome. I couldn’t have wrote it any better.’
Vesia has made a habit of customizing his gloves and this year the six designs include a number of ‘very personal… very meaningful’ tributes to his late daughter.
Due to medical complications with Sterling Sol, Vesia was forced to sit out the 2025 World Series as his Dodgers teammates won their second title in as many years.
The reliever read an emotional statement upon his return for Spring Training, thanking Kayla, the Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays and fans for their support during a difficult experience.
‘The lessons we’ve learned from this is that life can change in an instant for us,’ he said. ‘Ten minutes is all it took. Sterling’s 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 said missing the World Series was difficult but ‘an easy decision, because my family needed me.’
