Dodgers’ Alex Vesia thanks Blue Jays for act of kindness

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Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia removed himself from last year’s World Series to tend to his family in the wake of heartbreaking loss.

On Thursday, Vesia spoke for the first time since he stepped away from the Dodgers to thank his organization, his teammates and the fans for all of their support while he and his wife, Kayla, dealt with the loss of their infant daughter last fall.

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He also thanked the Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers’ World Series opponents, for recognizing his loss by wearing the No. 51 on their hats for the duration of the Series.

“The relationships you make along the way, it showed that it’s much bigger than baseball,” Vesia told reporters at Dodgers spring training.

The couple were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from all corners of their lives.

“My DMs are basically broken on Instagram from all the love and support that we’ve had,” Vesia said.

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He said just to be able to watch the World Series in the midst of all his grief provided a distraction and some comfort for him and his family during those early days of loss.

“Stepping away from the team, the brothers that I go to war with every day, was difficult, but it was also an easy decision, because my family needed me,” he said. “We still watched every pitch of the World Series, and for us, in so many ways, that was the light in our darkness.”

Not that the hurting from a loss like that every ends. Vesia and his wife, he confirmed, have started therapy, a course he strongly recommends for others in similar situations.

Vesia is back at camp and working with his Dodgers teammates in hopes of bringing a third consecutive World Series title back to Los Angeles.

mganter@postmedia.com

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