Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Alex Vesia revealed on Instagram that his infant daughter, Sterling Sol, died on October 26, explaining his absence from the 2025 World Series. The team had cited a deeply personal family matter for his unavailability during the Fall Classic. Both the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays honored Vesia with tributes during the series.
Alex Vesia, a key reliever for the Los Angeles Dodgers since joining the team in a 2021 trade from the Miami Marlins, missed the entire 2025 World Series due to a family emergency. On Friday, Vesia shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram, announcing the death of his newborn daughter, Sterling Sol Vesia, on October 26, between Games 2 and 3 of the series.
In his post, Vesia wrote, "Our beautiful daughter went to heaven Sunday October 26th. 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." He also expressed gratitude to the Dodgers organization, Dodger Nation, the Toronto Blue Jays, baseball fans, and the medical staff at Cedars-Sinai for their support. Earlier in April, Vesia and his wife, Kayla, had announced their pregnancy, stating, “Baby Vesia coming soon, we are beyond excited for this next chapter."
The Dodgers kept the details private throughout the series. Dodgers reliever Will Klein, who stepped up in Game 3, commented on October 28, "I would like to let them speak about that when they want to, but just keeping them in our thoughts and our prayers. There's bigger things than baseball. He's in all of our hearts."
In a show of solidarity, both teams' bullpens paid tribute to Vesia by writing his jersey number, 51, on their caps. The Dodgers relievers displayed it starting in Game 3, while the Blue Jays joined in Game 6. Vesia had pitched throughout the NLCS but was sidelined for the World Series, where he was expected to play a significant role.