Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia returned to the mound on Monday, Feb. 23, for the first time since the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Vesia was forced to leave the Dodgers in the middle of their playoff run for a second-straight title after he and his wife, Kayla, went through something devastating.
Their newborn daughter, Sterling Sole, passed away in the middle of the postseason, leading to his absence from the team. The Dodgers did not announce the news to respect Vesia’s privacy.
The lefty reliever and his wife revealed what they went through over the offseason in November via an Instagram post.
Vesia, with the help of therapy among other forms of support, has managed to get himself ready to perform on the field again, reporting for Spring Training right on time and continuing to work as a pitcher, making his first spring ball appearance on Monday.
“We’ve been waiting for that one,” Vesia said after his start, where he went 1-2-3 with a strikeout.
“It was a little overwhelming … just trying to take it all in. I just want to have fun on the mound. I just want to be able to spazz out and be myself out there. Because right now, I feel really good out there. It’s just me and myself and baseball.”
The lefty has found a way to have conversations with his teammates about what he went through, embracing their support and talking through his feelings.
“That’s honestly been a blessing,” he said. “I do like talking about it with the guys. I don’t want them to feel like they can’t, because to share those important moments and whatnot – these guys are my brothers. I truly do love all of them. It’s meant a lot.”
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