Shohei Ohtani’s teammate Alex Vesia reveals his unusual secret for staying fired up before taking the mound

Modified Mar 27, 2025 04:08 GMT

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs - Source: Imagn — Shohei Ohtani’s teammate Alex Vesia reveals his unusual secret for staying fired up before taking the mound - Source: Imagn

Left-hander Alex Vesia has been one of the best relievers for the Dodgers the past couple of years. He registered his best season last year, going 5-4 with a 1.76 ERA in 66.1 innings over 67 games.

Shohei Ohtani's teammate Vesia followed the phenomenal regular season with electric outputs in the postseason as well, which saw the Dodgers win the World Series against the New York Yankees. He pitched 5.2 innings without allowing any run while striking out seven and recording one save.

During an interview with Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain, Vesia revealed the reason behind his electrifying display at the mound.

"I have my Red Bull in the first and my Red Bull in the fifth," Vesia said. "Sugar free."

It's not the energy drink that pushes Vesia to do well. He's the kind of player who gets the crowd behind him and feeds off their energy.

"At the same time, I love adrenaline. I have loved adrenaline since I was a little kid," Vesia added. "So when a crowd of 50,000 are in the stands at Dodger Stadium, I love it. I feed off that energy.

“My energy is always towards the Dodgers, it’s never towards opponents or anything like that. I get fired up because I want to get off the mound so the boys can hit. It’s never towards the other team, I always try to keep it respectful in that sense.”

Alex Vesia reveals what goes on in his mind when asked out of bullpen

Whenever manager Dave Roberts felt intimidated by the opposing lineup's best left-handed hitter, he often turned to Alex Vesia last season. It shows in Vesia's performance too, which includes career-highs in strikeouts (87), WAR (1.6) and even saves (5).

Talking about building off a strong season, Vesia shed light on his mindset when he's called in the bullpen.

“I think it’s just going out and competing.” Vesia said (via Dodgers Nation). “Not trying to be too far ahead of myself. It’s getting one out at a time.

"I come into games where you get one out, two outs, or three outs. I try to never be too far ahead. A high school coach told me, ‘Don’t ride the highs too high, and the lows too low.’ When Doc calls me into the game, I’m prepared I’m ready. I’m going to give it everything I got.”

The Dodgers have named Alex Vesia to their 26-man Opening Day roster. So, if the going gets tough on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, expect Alex Vesia to come out of the bullpen.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

Know More

Edited by Bhargav