“Our little angel, we love you forever & you’re with us always.” With this statement, Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla Vesia, publicly announced the tragic death of their daughter, Sterling Sol Vesia. Before the first game of the World Series, the Dodgers announced that Vesia would be absent from the lineup. Though the news left fans confused, no details were shared. But now Vesia has announced what really happened, and stars across the MLB have banded together to show their support.

“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,” continued Vesia’s Instagram post alongside a black and white image of all three of their hands. It was only in April when couple announced the news of their first child and said.

The Vesias were expecting their baby during the Dodgers’ postseason, but when news of the pitcher’s withdrawal came out, the Dodgers were nothing but supportive, with president Andrew Friedman stating that it was “bigger” than baseball. “Thank you to the Dodgers for their understanding and support during this time. Our baseball family showed up for us and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” continued Vesia’s post, acknowledging that support.

But it wasn’t just the Dodgers who showed up. Though it was Dodgers pitchers who wrote Vesia’s number 51 on the side of their caps, by Game 6, some Jays relievers like Chris Bassitt, Seranthony Dominguez and Nadon Flaherty began following suit.

Vesia next added, “Thank you, Dodger Nation, Blue Jays organization and all baseball fans for your love and support. We have seen ALL your messages, comments and posts. It’s brought us so much comfort.”

Some fans of the Dodgers donated some amount to Toronto’s SickKids hospital after the World Series. They donated that amount to the world-renowned pediatric hospital in Toronto as a thankful gesture to the Jays who showed their support for Alex Vesia.

The pitcher ended his statement with the message, “Lastly, we’d like to thank Cedars Sinai and all the medical staff who helped Kayla and Sterling. Every person we came across was truly so incredible. With Love, The Vesias”.

Vesia’s post was a reminder of how baseball isn’t always the be all and end all; sometimes it’s more than that. It was a sentiment captured perfectly in how several MLB stars, regardless of their affiliation, came together to show their support and send their well wishes to the Vesia family.

The baseball community unit in emotional support for the Vesia family

Mike Trout of the Angels said, “We’re all here for you, man. Thinking of you and your family and sending all our love. 🙏🤍.” The star’s message quickly went viral and fans supported his comment as a star from another team expressing simple but powerful humanity. 

Kiké Hernández wrote, “We love you guys.” He voiced his admiration for the Jays stars, who showed respect to Vesia by adding No. 51 to their caps during the World Series. He said, “For those guys to do that, it’s incredible. They’re trying to win a World Series, but they understand life is bigger than baseball. Baseball’s just a game.”

Dustin May kept his comment short yet meaningful with a simple “🙏🤍.” The two emojis said it all, and May’s comment spoke volumes without a single word written.

Will Klein wrote, “We love you guys. Thinking of you,” reaffirming that the team stood behind the family. Such a display of unity from teammates showed how much of a family dynamic exists in MLB.

Then, Cara Smith, wife of Will Smith, wrote, “Love you all so much🤍🫶.” Cara’s comment showed a powerful connection within the stars’ families, highlighting that the community extends beyond the dugout.

His post garnered more than 600,000 likes and thousands of comments from MLB stars and fans. It only shows that rivalry exists in the field, not outside the stadium.