Kiké Hernandez has praised the Toronto Blue Jays for their thoughtful gesture toward Alex Vesia, who is currently dealing with a significant family issue.

Before the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Vesia would not be part of the team due to what they referred to as a “deeply personal matter.”

In solidarity, each Los Angeles pitcher wore “51” on their caps, indicating that Vesia was still in their thoughts. During Game 6, in which Mookie Betts broke out of his slump, it was noticed that every Blue Jays reliever also had the number on their caps, showing that even Toronto was thinking about Vesia.

Before Game 7, Hernandez expressed his appreciation for the Blue Jays’ actions, as the Dodgers strive to join the ranks of only 21 other teams that have achieved a similar feat.

Hernandez confessed to reporters before Game 7 against the Blue Jays, “I didn’t notice till [Chris] Bassitt, actually, it wasn’t until after Bassitt struck me out, and I was looking up at the board to see the replay, and that’s when I saw that he had 51.”

He continued, “Instead of being mad that I struck out, I was kind of going back to the dugout thinking, ‘Did Bassitt play with [Vesia] at any point?’ And then obviously after the game I saw that everybody had them.”

Despite both teams competing in an intense battle, Hernandez paused to praise the compassion displayed by the Blue Jays, even as Toronto and Los Angeles remain locked in a fight to etch their names into history. “Man, that just, for those guys to do that, it’s incredible,” the star continued.

“They’re trying to win a World Series, but they understand that this is, you know, life is bigger than baseball and baseball is just a game and for them to do that and with the stakes, where we were at with the stakes, it’s, you know, hats off to them and I just want them to know that we appreciate them regardless of what happens tonight. We appreciate what they did.”

While the Dodgers haven’t revealed why Vesia is away from the team, Los Angeles skipper Dave Roberts offered additional details about why the star relief pitcher is spending time with his family.

Roberts also expressed gratitude to the Blue Jays for their thoughtful gesture toward Vesia.

“It’s everything,” Roberts said, per Newsweek. “I didn’t learn that until after the game last night, and I think it really speaks to the brotherhood of athletes, Major League Baseball players.

“They’ll all say that ‘baseball is what we do but its not who we are,’ and for these guys to recognize Alex, and what he and Kayla have gone through, heartbreaking is not even a good enough descriptor.

“But for them to acknowledge that, it just speaks to how much respect and love that they have for one another. It’s a huge, huge tribute to Alex.”

What exactly Vesia and his loved ones are facing remains unclear, but it’s evident that the baseball community has the 29-year-old in their thoughts, even during the season’s most crucial matchup.