Ex-CSU East Bay pitcher grateful for Dodgers' support after daughter's death

SAN FRANCISCO – Left-hander Alex Vesia was concerned about his ability to focus — given all of the emotions he was experiencing – as he came on to close the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the New York Mets at Chavez Ravine last week.

Despite feeling like he might start to cry, the Cal State East Bay product got all three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth to strike out swinging, finishing Jorge Polanco on a 92.9 mph four-seam fastball, and Bo Bichette and Francisco Alvarez on 83 mph sliders for a 2-1 Dodgers win.

What made last Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium special that it was Healthcare Appreciation Night. Vesia and his wife, Kayla, chose the game to recognize the more than two dozen medical workers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who helped them through the death of their infant daughter, Sterling Sol, during last October’s postseason.

"It’s hard to explain, but it's definitely one of the most memorable things that I’ve been able to do on a baseball field," Vesia said Tuesday, as the Dodgers prepared to begin a three-game series with the Giants at Oracle Park.

"I’ve done some pretty cool things. That one, it’s on the top of my list."

The couple began therapy roughly six weeks before Vesia reported for spring training in mid-February. The medical workers sat in a suite and wore T-shirts that Vesia had signed, each bearing the initials ‘SV' with a heart that Kayla had made for each staff member. The game marked the first time that Vesia had again seen the men and women who helped them through the tragic time.

"Afterward, I immediately looked for all of them and my wife, just to show my appreciation," Vesia said. "And obviously, you could see it on my face, smiling, and there was definitely a lot of love."

The Dodgers, too, showed their support. Although Vesia, who pitched at CSU East Bay from 2015-2018, would not pitch in the World Series for the second consecutive year, Dodgers relievers wore Vesia's No. 51 on their caps as a tribute to their teammate.

In a remarkable show of solidarity, the Toronto Blue Jays relievers did the same in Game 6 of the dramatic series that Los Angeles won in seven games.

"The support that I’ve had from ownership all the way down to every single one of the coaches, every single one of the players, has been top-notch," Vesia said. "I didn’t really expect a whole lot. I didn’t really know what to do or how to go about it. But from the start of spring training, it’s just been really nice to come to the ballpark every day and be around my teammates, be around the guys that I consider my brothers.

"The love and support that I’ve gotten from them is truly … it’s really hard to explain, but it’s given myself and my wife a lot of comfort."

Vesia, a Southern California native, said about 15 friends from the Hayward area will be at Wednesday's game. Vesia arrived at Cal State East Bay from Steele Canyon High School in Spring Valley, happy to have part of his college education paid for, and simply wanted to get to a point where he could be drafted by an MLB team.

"Honestly, I didn’t really know where my life was going to go," Vesia said. "At that point, I was just kind of enjoying the ride and kind of just taking it all in. As a freshman and sophomore, I was kind of just figuring out life. Baseball was a lot of fun, and I still keep in contact with a few of the guys who were on the same teams as me."

After going 24-17 with a 3.79 ERA over 313 2/3 inning in four seasons with the Pioneers, leaving with school records for wins and innings pitched he still holds, Vesia was drafted by the Marlins in 2018 in the 17th round.

Just over two years later, Vesia made his big league debut at 24 years old, and in February 2021, he was traded to the Dodgers, where he's spent almost all of his five-plus seasons as a reliever. Before Tuesday's game, Vesia had appeared in 310 games with the Dodgers, going 19-12 with a 2.58 ERA and 15 saves.

Entering the series at Oracle Park, Vesia had gone 8 2/3 innings without allowing a run, with three walks and 10 strikeouts in that time.

Vesia could be in line for a few more saves with closer Edwin Diaz expected to miss the next three months after he has surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. Diaz has four of the Dodgers' six saves this season. Vesia has the other two.

Before Tuesday's game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated he’d use a closer-by-committee but that lefty Tanner Scott would probably get the most opportunities. Vesia and Blake Treinen figure to be part of that closing committee.

"Don't have an answer," Roberts said when asked about his new closer Tuesday afternoon. "I honestly don't know. (Scott) could pitch in the seventh tonight, and (Treinen) could get the save. It's kind of day-to-day."

Whatever happens, Vesia will be ready, just like he was on an emotional night last Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

"I don't really know. It’s not up to me," Vesia said of potentially closing more games. "I put a lot of trust in (Roberts). We have a really good relationship, and whenever my name is called, I’ll be ready.

"That’s kind of how we’ve done it the last three or four years, and I don’t mind it. I’m OK with whatever role I’m put in. We do a really good job of communicating what lane is good for me, and that gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and get my one, two or three outs."

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 12:21 PM.