TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have joined their counterparts on the Los Angeles Dodgers in paying tribute to Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia throughout the World Collection.
Vesia is away from the workforce due to a “deeply private household matter,” the Dodgers mentioned in an announcement posted on social media earlier than Sport 1. Pitchers on the Dodgers have been enjoying with Vesia’s No. 51 on the aspect of their caps.
In a present of solidarity, Blue Jays relievers have began doing the identical factor. Toronto’s Chris Bassitt, Seranthony Dominguez, Mason Fluharty and Louis Varland all had the No. 51 written on the aspect of their caps in Friday’s Sport 6, a 3-1 Dodgers win that compelled Sport 7.
Vesia, 29, has been a reliable bullpen arm for the defending champions. The left-hander went 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 68 regular-season video games. He was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven postseason appearances.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned he was touched to see the Blue Jays acknowledge an opponent amid the heightened competitors of the World Collection.
“It is every part,” Roberts mentioned earlier than Saturday’s Sport 7 in Toronto. “I did not be taught that till after the sport final evening. I feel it actually speaks to the brotherhood of athletes. … It simply speaks to how a lot respect and love they’ve for each other. It is an enormous, large tribute to Alex.”
Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez was staring on the stadium huge display screen as he walked again to the dugout after putting out within the ninth inning Friday when he seen the quantity written on Bassitt’s cap.
“I used to be trying up on the board to see the replay, and that is once I noticed that he had 51,” Hernandez mentioned Saturday. “As a substitute of being mad that I struck out, I used to be form of going again to the dugout pondering ‘Did Bassitt play with Vesia in some unspecified time in the future?’ After which after the sport I noticed that everyone had them. For these guys to try this, it is unbelievable. They’re making an attempt to win a World Collection, however they perceive that life is larger than baseball, and baseball’s only a sport.”
Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider mentioned the tribute to Vesia confirmed the standard of character among the many gamers in his workforce’s clubhouse
“We’ve got quite a lot of good folks, quite a lot of good people in there which might be husbands and fathers and all that form of stuff, that simply respect what all of us do and the hardships that include it,” Schneider mentioned.