Vesia seals win on birthday
Reliever Alex Vesia closed out a Dodgers victory on his birthday, finishing the game and earning social attention for the timing of the save. (x.com)
Alex Vesia struck out Danny Jansen for the final out of the Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, earning a save on his 30th birthday. (espn.com) The game ended at Dodger Stadium on April 11, 2026, the same date listed on Vesia’s Major League Baseball player bio as his birth date: April 11, 1996. (mlb.com) Los Angeles led 6-3 entering the ninth after Shohei Ohtani opened the first inning with a homer and Teoscar Hernández added a three-run shot later in the frame. Emmet Sheehan went six innings, allowed four hits and struck out six. (espn.com) Manager Dave Roberts did not use Edwin Díaz to start the ninth one night after Díaz blew a three-run lead in an 8-7 Dodgers win over Texas. Blake Treinen got two outs, then Vesia entered and finished the game. (cbssports.com, espn.com) That finish landed in a bullpen already under close watch in April, with Roberts mixing late-inning assignments while the Dodgers opened 11-3, the best record in the majors after Saturday’s games. Vesia’s save was his first of the 2026 season. (espn.com, espn.com) Vesia has been working in leverage spots all week. On April 7 in Toronto, he escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh inning of a 4-1 Dodgers win over the Blue Jays. (mlb.com) His recent appearances have carried heavier personal context. Vesia missed the 2025 World Series because of a personal matter, and Dodgers coverage this week said he and his wife were grieving the loss of their newborn daughter during that period. (mlb.com, nytimes.com) The Dodgers close the Rangers series on Sunday, April 12, with Roki Sasaki scheduled to start against Jacob deGrom. Vesia’s birthday save gave Los Angeles its seventh win in eight games and ended Saturday with one clean strikeout. (espn.com)
