Guardians Pitcher Reacts After Inspirational First Career Save

At one point, not too long ago, Nic Enright wasn’t sure if his baseball career was over. Now, he’s a key piece in the Cleveland Guardians' bullpen and achieved a massive career milestone in the team’s win over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Stephen Vogt used his elite reliever duo of Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

When the game went into extra innings, Cleveland’s skipper had to go in another direction and opted to give Enright the opportunity to close down the game for the Guardians.

Enright was quickly sent down New York’s first two batters, Mark Vientos and Cedric Mullins, to give the team two outs in the inning. The next batter, Brett Baty, singled, scoring Jeff McNeil, who started the inning on second base. However, it didn’t take Cleveland’s pitcher long to retire Luis Torrens, who flied out to right field to end the game.

Nic Enright throws a pitch — Jun 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Nic Enright (59) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Nearly three years after being diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma, along with multiple injuries along the way, Enright recorded his first big-league save.

“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity - just everything that has gone on,” said Enright after the game.. “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 credits his family for sticking by him throughout his recovery.

“I haven’t just pulled up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time. On top of it, I can’t speak highly enough of my wife [Erin], my parents [Doug and Betty Enright] and my family and the people around me. To say it’s a team effort is an understatement," continued Enright (quotes via MLB.com).

Vogt added that “Nic is such a great kid, what he has been through in his personal life, nothing is going to rattle him either. He has been so great for us, consistent. I’m just really happy for him and his family.”

Enright’s story is undoubtedly an inspirational story for anyone facing adversity. Even in the face of hardship, the 28-year-old never gave up or stopped persevering, and now he is living out his childhood dream.

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