Dodgers pitcher's wife lives through 'bitter sweet' opening day months after infant daughter's death

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The Los Angeles Dodgers' beginning to the 2026 season was supposed to be Alex Vesia's first as a father, but the unimaginable happened.

Before the World Series, the relief pitcher left the team to deal with a "deeply personal matter" and did not pitch in the Fall Classic. 

Days after the Dodgers won the World Series, he and his wife announced their infant daughter had died.

Vesia was back in Chavez Ravine Thursday for opening day, which his wife said was "very bitter sweet."

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Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks back to the dugout during Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium Oct. 16, 2025, in Los Angeles.   (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

"What I would give to have my Sterling girl here, carrying her in my heart always," Vesia's wife, Kayla, said in an Instagram post.

In his first news conference of the year in spring training, Vesia called his wife "the strongest person that I know" and "a support system for me every bit as much as I am for her."

"Life can change in an instant. For us, 10 minutes is all it took," Vesia said in February. "Sterling 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. Kay and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves.

Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field May 28, 2025, in Cleveland.  (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

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