A BASEBALL star became emotional after achieving a big-time career milestone while battling cancer.
An MLB pitcher closed out a win over the New York Mets on Monday night.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Nic Enright celebrates with teammates after earning his first save in a 7-5 win over the New York Mets on Monday night[/caption]
Enright seen in action against the New York Yankees on June 5[/caption]
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Mets, 7-6, in an extra-inning road victory.
And relief pitcher Nic Enright got to earn his first career save, which would be meaningful in more ways than one.
Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2022, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning at Citi Field on Monday night.
The 28-year-old picked up his first save in just the 19th game of his big league career.
After the game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was asked about Enright, who is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year.
“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Vogt said about Enright following the game.
“If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”
Enright was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma on December 22, 2022, just 15 days after he was selected from Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft.
He would rejoin the Guardians in the following offseason.
After the 2024 season, Enright underwent four rounds of immunotherapy for the disease.
The right-hander is expected to go through another round of cancer treatment in November.
“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.”
Enright then opened up about how his illness has helped him focus better on the field.
Enright speaking with catcher Bo Naylor after his milestone[/caption]
“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity — just everything that has gone on,” he said.
“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 made his MLB debut on May 25.
He has a 2.01 ERA with two holds in 19 games.
The Guardians have won five of their last six games as they’ll look to improve on their 57-55 record.
