On a night that Alex Vesia needed a little extra something to get him and the Los Angeles Dodgers over the line, all he had to do was look up in the stands to get a little extra motivation.
The Dodgers and New York Mets were deadlocked in a pitching duel between aces Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean before L.A. took the lead off a bloop single from Kyle Tucker in the bottom of the eighth.
Vesia got the ball to close out the game in the ninth, and he put on a special performance, striking out all three New York hitters to give the Dodgers their MLB-leading 13th win of the season.
After the game, he opened up about the fans who motivated him in the crowd.
“I’m going to cry,” he opened the on-field interview, overwhelmed by the moment at hand.
Looking on from a suite at Dodger Stadium was the medical team that supported him and his wife, Kayla, through the loss of their daughter late last year.
Vesia, one of L.A’s best relievers, didn’t play in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, but was honored by both teams throughout the series with dedications to him and his family on their caps.
Coming into 2026, Vesia has taken the support from the baseball world and beyond to have the best start of his career, securing his second close of the season on Tuesday against the Mets.
The nurses and the rest of the medical staff who had supported the Vesias were dancing and waving up above in Dodger Stadium as he struck out the final player of the night to get the win, feeding off the energy of the always vibrant Vesia.
Vesia and the rest of the Dodgers will go for the sweep of the Mets tomorrow with Shohei Ohtani on the mound.