Dodgers star cherishing potential last ride after daughters tragic passing: motivation is different
Last week, Alex Vesia made sure to take in the scene.A full month of baseball, he and the Dodgers hope, still lies ahead this October.Their game last Thursday was nothing more than a regular-season home finale, with the club set to open its postseason back at Dodger Stadium on Saturday in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.Still, Vesia couldn’t help but feel sentimental as he traversed the clubhouse that afternoon, and sat out in the bullpen with several longtime teammates that night.For the last six years, this has been home for the left-handed reliever.As a pending free agent this offseason, it might not be much longer.“I sent a text in our family group chat that was like, ‘I potentially could have played my last home game as a Dodger, in the regular season,’” Vesia recounted to the California Post this week.
“And it was just like, damn.”Vesia might not be one of the biggest stars of the Dodgers’ modern-day dynasty.But few players have been more important, or reliable, in their ascent to superteam status.Since arriving as a little-known trade acquisition in February 2021 (acquired from the Miami Marlins, along with Kyle Hurt, in exchange for Dylan Floro), Vesia has been a stalwart in the Dodgers’ bullpen.He has made 367 appearances for the club, a whopping 150 more than any other Dodgers pitcher in that span (Evan Phillips is next closest at 232).
He has posted a 2.66 ERA and 5.7 wins above replacement, according to Fangraphs (ranking fifth among all left-handed relievers in the majors in that latter category during that period).It was a rise that required personal reinvention, with the former 17th-round draft pick raising his arm slot and cultivating one of baseball’s most deceptive fastballs with the help of the organization’s highly-touted pitching department.It was a road full of glorious highs, including two World Series championships, and gut-wrenching lows –– both on the field, like when he was optione...