Kiké Hernández response to Blue Jays' Alex Vesia gesture has fans feeling for Toronto

Every Dodgers reliever who came out of the bullpen in Game 3 had No. 51 etched onto the sides of their caps to honor teammate Alex Vesia, who was away from the team throughout the World Series to attend to a "deeply personal family matter." Dodgers players and management alike have emphasized that what Vesia and his wife Kayla have been going through is bigger than baseball.

It was a beautiful coincidence (or maybe not one, depending on your persuasion) that the Dodgers' bullpen was at their very best throughout Game 3. The much-maligned LA 'pen took LA through 13 scoreless before Freddie Freeman walked it off in the bottom of the 18th.

A few days later, the Blue Jays' relievers followed suit and put No. 51 on their own caps in an incredibly touching gesture that had both sides putting down their swords for a second.

Kiké Hernández was asked about it ahead of Game 7. He said, "I didn't notice until [Chris] Bassitt struck me out, and then I was looking up at the board to see the replay, and that's when I saw that he had 51 [...] and then after the game, I saw that everybody had them.

"For those guys to do that, it's incredible. They're trying to win a World Series, but they understand that this is — life is bigger than baseball, and baseball's just a game. For them to do that with the stakes ... hat's off to them, and I want them to know that we appreciate 'em."

Blue Jays relievers paid touching tribute to Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia in Game 6 of the World Series

Dave Roberts joined in to thank the Blue Jays for the gesture. "It's everything," he said. "I didn't learn that until after the game last night. I think it really speaks to the brotherhood of athletes. ... It just speaks to how much respect and love they have for one another. It's a huge, huge tribute to Alex."

The Dodgers eventually got the better of the Jays' bullpen in Game 7. After just one run allowed by starter Max Scherzer, LA slowly added on three more off of Bassitt, Trey Yesavage, and Jeff Hoffman to tie the game in the ninth before Will Smith delivered the final blow against Shane Bieber.

It was a gut-wrenching way for Toronto's season to end, but their relievers' example speaks to the fact that, at the end of the day, everyone's just playing a game. And that's a good reminder for Jays fans who are especially down after that gutting Game 7 loss.