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The Cleveland Guardians recalled rookie Nic Enright from Triple-A Columbus last month and the 28-year-old came up trumps in the series opener against the New York Mets on Monday.
The Guardians closer earned the first save of the season at Citi Field after restricting the Mets to just one run in the 10th inning for a narrow 7-6 win for Cleveland. It was a memorable night for the closer as he registered his first career save while being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Enright was diagnosed with cancer in December 2022, a few days after he was added to the Miami Marlins' 40-man roster. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt revealed the reliever's reaction after his first save on Monday.
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"He was almost crying on the field just now," Vogt said. "If you read his story, it's pretty inspirational."
Enright, a Richmond, Virginia native attended The Steward School and was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Virginia in 2015. While he was selected by the Mets in the 2015 draft, Enright turned down the opportunity and played college baseball for Virginia Tech instead.
He was selected by the Guardians in the 20th round of the 2019 draft. The Marlins selected him with the Rule 5 draft in December 2022. After completing his first round of treatments for his rare lymphatic cancer in February, Enright was sent for rehab assignments with the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads and later the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp by the Marlins.
Nic Enright returned to the Guardians in June 2023 and after making 16 appearances for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, he was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster in November 2024.
Guardians rookie Nic Enright puts on brave face amid cancer treatment
After missing most of the last season due to a shoulder injury, Nic Enright made his MLB debut for the Guardians on May 25. Although he is scheduled for one more round of cancer treatment in November, Enright is not letting the disease define his life.
"I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn't going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life," Enright said. "It's something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, (it shows) I haven't just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time."
With All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase's Guardians future uncertain after MLB opened an investigation over gambling allegations, Nic Enright could play a crucial role for Cleveland's bullpen.
