Dodgers players and manager appreciate Blue Jays’ tribute to L.A. reliever Alex Vesia

Blue Jays relievers honored Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia in Game 6 by writing his number “51” on their caps, a gesture that moved L.A. players amid his family’s personal hardship.

When Kike Hernandez was struck out by Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chris Bassitt in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series, he watched the Jumbotron at Rogers Centre to see the replay of the at bat.

It was then that he noticed Bassitt had written a “51” on the side of his hat in tribute to Hernandez’s Los Angeles Dodgers teammate, reliever Alex Vesia.

“Instead of being mad that I struck out, I was kind of going back to the dugout thinking, ‘Did Bassitt play with Vesia at some point?’ and then after the game, I saw that everybody had them,” said Hernandez on Saturday ahead of Game 7.

All four Blue Jays relievers that came out of the bullpen in Toronto’s 3-1 loss on Friday — Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty, Seranthony Dominguez and Bassitt — had written “51” on their hats.

Vesia was one of the Dodgers’ most reliable relievers this year, but before the World Series began, Los Angeles announced that he would be away from the team as he and his wife Kayla “navigate a deeply personal matter.”

The Vesias had been documenting their pregnancy on social media and announced in April that they were expecting a baby girl.

The Dodgers had written Vesia’s jersey number on their gear earlier in the series and Hernandez was visibly moved when asked about Blue Jays relievers also honouring Vesia.

“For those guys to do that, it’s incredible. They’re trying to win a World Series, but they understand that life is bigger than baseball, and baseball’s just a game,” said Hernandez. “For them to do that with the stakes — where we’re at with the stakes, hat’s off to them, and I want them to know that we appreciate them.