NEED TO KNOW
Cleveland Guardians rookie pitcher Nic Enright earned his first career MLB save on Monday night
Enright is also in the midst of treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma
“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity,” Enright told reporters after the game, reflecting on the career highlight
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Nic Enright’s hallmark year became even more memorable Monday night.
Enright, 28, earned the first save of his Major League Baseball career after helping his team hold on to a 7-6 win over the New York Mets on Monday, Aug. 4, as he continues to juggle cancer treatments with baseball amid his storybook rookie season.
“What a cool night,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt reflected after the game, according to MLB.com. “His first career save. He was outstanding. Nic is such a great kid, what he has been through in his personal life, nothing is going to rattle him.”
Vogt told reporters he took the scene in as the final out landed in right fielder Nolan Jones’ glove, ending the game and giving Enright his monumental career moment.
“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Vogt said, according to ESPN. “If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”
Grace Hoppel/MLB Photos via Getty
Nic Enright
Enright was drafted by the Guardians in 2019 after a successful college career at Virginia Tech. The Richmond, Va., native was claimed by the Miami Marlins in 2022 during the MLB’s annual Rule 5 Draft, but was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma just 19 days later.
Enright began immunotherapy treatments in 2023, according to ESPN, and faltered on the mound in Miami’s minor league system, soon getting released and rejoining Cleveland where he began to rebuild towards his dream of making the MLB.
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Something clicked for the relief pitcher in 2024, notching an eye-catching 1.06 ERA with Cleveland’s top minor league club and earning himself a shot at the MLB in early 2025. He made his major league debut with the Guardians in May and has since proved to be a reliable presence for the team’s otherwise tumultuous bullpen with a 2.01 ERA over 19 appearances. But none of them compared to Monday night.
Nic Enright/Instagram
Erin Enright and Nic Enright
“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity — just everything that has gone on,” Enright said after earning the save, according to MLB.com, crediting his wife Erin for helping him get through treatment in recent years. “I reflect on those moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down because it hasn’t exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.”
Enright is scheduled to receive his final cancer treatment in November, shortly after the 2025 MLB season comes to a close, according to ESPN.
Read the original article on People
