LOS ANGELES — For the past three games, every Dodgers reliever has donned a cap featuring a small piece of embroidery: the No. 51, tucked beside the World Series logo.
It’s their subtle way of keeping lefty Alex Vesia — who wears uniform No. 51 — with them, even when he cannot physically be there himself.
As the Fall Classic shifts back to Toronto, Vesia remains away from the team while he and his wife, Kayla, navigate a family matter. The Dodgers have not given any additional updates on Vesia since before Game 1, but he is not expected to return during the World Series.
“Dating back to while we were still in Toronto,” Evan Phillips said, “we had tried to think of many ways to show our love and support for him and his family. … Just acknowledging that we really miss them, and baseball is completely secondary to what they’re going through.”
In a situation that’s bigger than baseball, Vesia is where he needs to be. After he came through time and again for the ‘pen during the season, his fellow relievers are looking to do the same in the final game or two, with his number etched onto their caps in tribute.
Vesia’s absence has been noticeable in multiple senses during the best-of-seven series against the Blue Jays. Jack Dreyer is without his catch partner, a season-long ritual that builds a deep bond. The Dodgers are without their fireman, and a few narrow deficits have spiraled into outsized defeats. But they ultimately miss the person more than the pitcher.
“He’s the same guy every day, regardless of how he performs or how the team performs or what day of the week it is,” Dreyer said. “He’s always the same guy with the energy. That’s not something that you can really measure or see on a stat sheet, but it brings a lot to the team and helps a lot. Definitely missing him, but just hoping that he and Kayla are doing OK.”
The relief corps was at its best the night they first wore the caps honoring Vesia.
In the instant-classic marathon that was Game 3, the Dodgers’ bullpen held the Blue Jays to just one run across 13 1/3 innings, using all nine arms in the ‘pen in a rare triumph for the much-maligned group, recognized far more frequently for its failures than its successes this year.
All with Vesia’s No. 51 on their caps.
“He’s a huge piece of that bullpen,” Emmet Sheehan said. “He’s a leader. He’s helped me a ton, with just adjusting to that role. Just to not have him here is tough. We just did that because we’re thinking of him. And that was for him.”
“I’m new to the bullpen,” said Clayton Kershaw, who recorded a critical out in the 12th on Monday in his final appearance at Dodger Stadium. “But Ves means a lot to all of us. He is a huge part of this team, a huge part of that bullpen. We just wanted to do something to honor him.”
Vesia notwithstanding, the Dodgers’ World Series bullpen is a far cry from the high-powered unit they constructed for their repeat bid. Last offseason’s big free-agent acquisitions, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, are not on the roster. Neither are Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech and Brock Stewart, the latter of whom was the lone reliever they added ahead of the Trade Deadline.
From underperformance to injuries, the bullpen has been at the center of much of the Dodgers’ adversity this year. Through it all, the relief arms have leaned on each other.
“As a bullpen, we really think of ourselves as a family,” Dreyer said. “Whenever somebody is going through something in the group, we’re gonna be there for them on and off the field.”
