Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia stepped away from the team during the World Series due to what the club mentioned as a “deeply personal family matter.” This news hit the fans hard, especially after seeing the pitcher and his pregnant wife, Kayla, celebrating LA’s big win just days prior.

Five days before the announcement, Kayla had shared a lovely TikTok celebrating the big World Series moment. She captioned that video, “What a game, what a time, LFG.” The video showed her hugging Vesia on the field as the team cheered.

Then the clip cuts to the soft moment, with Vesia rubbing her baby bump as the song lyrics “belly so big” played. The couple was waiting for their first child, a baby girl due any day.

But now that energy has turned into a concern. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers stated, “It’s with a heavy heart that we share that Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife, Kayla, navigate a deeply personal family matter.” And since then, everyone from Dodgers to Blue Jays fans to the baseball community in general is concerned and has flooded Kayla’s post with messages of love and prayer. TikTok video has passed 5 million views!

Inside the Dodgers clubhouse, too, the emotion is running as high. Pitcher Emmet Sheehan told The Athletic after Game 3, “It’s been pretty emotional down there recently, with everything that’s going on with Ves. We were thinking of him all night.”

Jack Dreyer also echoed that statement, saying that the team’s focus was not just on the World Series this time, but on standing with their own. After all, he said, “We could really use him here, but at the end of the day, we’re a family.”

Now neither Alex nor Kayla has shared any updates publicly. But the baseball world awaits, hoping that their fears are not the reality.

Blue Jays seen wearing 51 on their hats to Alex Vesia during the World Series

Even on baseball’s biggest stage, the Toronto Blue Jays delivered a message that goes way beyond the competition.

Given that Alex Vesia had stepped away, the Dodgers pitchers have been honoring him by writing his number, 51, on their hats throughout the World Series. But during Game 6 on Friday night, fans noticed something different: Blue Jays relievers were doing the same.

Seranthony Domínguez entered the eighth inning with “51” marked on his cap. It was a simple but powerful message from Toronto’s bullpen. A team that, on paper, should have been relieved that one of the league’s best relievers was not available. It echoed Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips’ message from earlier this week.

“Since we were still in Toronto, we had tried to think of many ways to show our love and support for him and his family. (…) We just recognize that we really miss them, and baseball is completely secondary to what they’re going through.”

Vesia was honestly one of their best arms and posted a 2.67 ERA across 295 appearances since he joined the team in 2021. He has been a force in the postseason, too, and carries a 1.86 ERA through his playoff career. His absence on the mound shows that he must be going through something of huge gravity.

Now, no one knows what’s happening with the family, but both LA and Toronto players, fans, and everyone have made it clear: His fight transcends any rivalry. No matter what happens in Game 7, Vesia will be on the mind of everyone on the field.