Guardians reliever Nic Enright, battling lymphoma, earns emotional first save
Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians' 7-6 win over the New York Mets.
'He was almost crying on the field just now,' Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. 'If you read his story, it's pretty inspirational.'
Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 — 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft.
After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May.
He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus.
The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for 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 made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation.
Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right.
'I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan (Jones) kind of keep running,' Enright said. 'But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.'
Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room.
'I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,' Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. 'I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.'
Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card.
'Really, really cool,' Enright said. 'These last couple of years, especially, I've gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that's gone on. And so for me, it's being able to reflect on those in these 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.'
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
43 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Frankfurt signs Japan winger Ritsu Doan for its Champions League return
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eintracht Frankfurt has signed Japanese winger Ritsu Doan to strengthen a squad depleted by the sale of Hugo Ekitiké as it prepares to return to the Champions League. Doan joins on a five-year contract from fellow German club Freiburg, where he was top scorer with 10 goals as the team placed fifth in the Bundesliga. 'I'm very happy and honored to be here,' Doan said in a translated video message to Frankfurt fans. 'I can't wait to play in front of the supporters.' Frankfurt is heading back to the Champions League this season after a third-place Bundesliga finish but will have a new-look attack after striker Ekitiké was sold to Liverpool for a fee of 69 million pounds ($93.5 million). The 27-year-old Doan will be expected to team up with another new signing for Ekitiké's center-forward role, ex-Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt. Doan won the Dutch Cup with PSV Eindhoven in 2022 and has played 57 games for the Japanese national team. That includes all of its games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and a role in securing qualification for next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Doan could make his Frankfurt debut Aug. 17 in a German Cup game against fifth-tier Engers. Frankfurt's first Bundesliga game of the season is six days later at home to Werder Bremen. ___
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
Purdue basketball alum back in NBA coaching ranks with Dallas Mavericks
WEST LAFAYETTE ― Dru Anthrop said coaching in the NBA is as much about relationships as it is about X's and O's. One of those relationships the former Purdue basketball player developed during his coaching career was with Jason Kidd. Now, Anthrop will reunite with the hall of fame point guard as a member of his coaching staff with the Dallas Mavericks. Anthrop said after Saturday's Purdue basketball alumni game he'd recently signed with the Mavericks and is eager to work under Kidd's tutelage. Re-live Purdue's run to the Final Four "He's a basketball savant," said Anthrop of Kidd. "When you are around people like that, you can just absorb everything they've got; all the knowledge about the game, the ins and outs of personalities of locker rooms." Anthrop previously worked alongside Kidd for two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before Kidd departed for Dallas. As member's of Frank Vogel's coaching staff, they won the 2020 NBA Finals. Anthrop graduated from Lafayette Central Catholic in 2009, having scored 1,298 career points and stayed in his hometown, joining Purdue as a walk-on. Anthrop was a three-time academic All-Big Ten honoree and a member of the 2010 Big Ten championship team. Purdue men's basketball Lack of size cost Purdue basketball last season. Daniel Jacobsen, Oscar Cluff solve issue After an internship with the Indiana Pacers, Anthrop joined former St. John's coach Chris Mullin's staff as a graduate assistant in 2015 before finding his way back into the NBA. Anthrop worked with the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies before joining the Lakers as a video coordinator and player development coach. Anthrop left Los Angeles to join the Phoenix Suns' coaching staff in 2023. He spent last season coaching with the NBA G League's Stockton Kings, who won the NBA G League Finals. "When you get to work with good people and you have some success, like last year in the G League I got to work with a great head coach in Quinton Crawford and an awesome staff all the way down, and you win a championship with them, it always helps build the resume," Anthrop said. In Dallas, Anthrop will reunite with Vogel, who he's been tied to throughout his NBA coaching career. Vogel reportedly will be Kidd's lead assistant this season. Anthrop also gets to work with players Max Christie, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, all whom he coached with the Lakers. Dallas roster also includes Kyrie Irving and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Cuban animal lovers struggle to feed stray cats and dogs as economic crisis bites
HAVANA (AP) — Every afternoon, 81-year-old Nélida Pérez begins her familiar walk down the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, a procession of hungry cats trailing close behind her. For years, Pérez has taken it upon herself to feed some of the street cats that roam this part of town, which is also one of the most popular tourist spots in the Cuban capital. She once relied on her own food or restaurant donations, but as the island's economic situation worsened and tourism declined, it has become increasingly difficult to provide for them. 'I have never in my life asked anyone for a plate of food to feed my cats,' Pérez told The Associated Press. 'Now I see myself in difficulties because there is no tourism and there is an economic crisis.' Since 2020, Cuba has faced a worsening economic crisis, driven by COVID-19 shutdowns, stricter U.S. sanctions, and an internal monetary reform that triggered inflation. Although the government provides vaccines, sterilization and some free clinics, it does not have the means to provide shelter and food for street cats and dogs. While official data is unavailable, activists say that many pet lovers have turned their homes — even small apartments — into shelters, but they are struggling to keep up with the demand and provide adequate care. 'The streets will kill them,' said Bárbara Iglesias, a 51-year-old pharmacist who adopted five dogs and has rescued and found homes for a dozen others. Iglesias explained that the hardest part is getting food. A 20-kilo (44-pound) bag of dog food, which lasts one dog for about 45 days, costs around $80 — a sum that is out of reach for most. This forces people to feed animals with pig organ meat (offal), chicken parts or mince meat — which are also not easy to obtain. On top of that, annual vaccines cost about $20 and a vet visit is another $10, all while the average monthly salary on the island is only about $12. Experts say that the abandonment of animals in Cuba is a result of several factors, including rising food and medicine prices, the migration of hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the last five years, and a high mortality rate among older adults. 'People are more focused on their problems, which are numerous: Cubans don't have water, they don't have electricity, and getting food is becoming increasingly difficult,' said Annelie González, one of the leaders of the Aldameros Project, a cat colony located in a park in Havana's historic center. 'Having an animal in your care involves feeding and caring,' said González, 36, who works as a restaurant manager and spends much of her income on the cats. She and a small group of volunteers began feeding 15 cats in Aldameros Park at the beginning of the pandemic. Today, they care for more than 150. Over the years, through their own efforts and some donations, they were able to install water pumps, pens for special cases, and cages for the kittens. González points to a number that she said reveals the shocking scale of the problem: at the start of the decade, roughly three abandoned cats appeared in the park each week. This year, that figure has soared to 15 per day. Back in Old Havana, Pérez recounts with sadness how she has seen people mistreat, beat and even kill stray cats. 'As long as I'm alive and healthy, and people help me,' she vowed, 'I'll always find them something to eat.'
