‘I can’t give up’: Enright makes MLB debut 2 1/2 years after cancer diagnosis

DETROIT — As Nic Enright stood in shallow center field in the middle of the seventh inning on Sunday, with his cap over his heart as he observed “God Bless America,” reflections of what he has experienced over the past two-and-a-half years rushed through his head.

Enright, 28, was diagnosed with Stage 2 nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Dec. 22, 2022. He continued to pitch amid his rounds of immunotherapy treatments, and on Sunday, he made his Major League debut with the Guardians.

”Those 35-40 seconds gave me time to reflect on my entire journey to get here,” Enright said of the time between the Comerica Park bullpen doors opening and him taking the pitcher’s mound. “And then, I was able to just think about all the obstacles that myself and my family have been able to overcome these last couple of years.

“Once it ended, it was like, ‘Now it’s just the same 60 feet, six inches it’s always been. It was incredible. That was everything I wanted it to be.”

Enright struck out three over two scoreless innings in the Guardians’ 5-0 loss to the Tigers on Sunday. He pitched in front of his parents, Doug and Betty; his wife, Erin; and his uncle-in-law and mother-in-law.

When he walked off the mound after completing the eighth inning, Enright spotted his family in the crowd and acknowledged them by tapping his right hand into his glove. He said it was an emotional moment, and he had to collect himself after getting back to the dugout.

“All the sacrifices that they’ve [made] these last couple of years, every single thing that I’ve felt, they felt in the exact same way,” Enright said. “For all of us to be here and celebrate it together was just an incredible experience.”

Enright, Cleveland’s 20th-round Draft pick in 2019, was selected by Miami from the Guardians in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 7, 2022. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins’ Lymphoma just 15 days later, a whirlwind experience both professionally and personally. Enright said the Major Leagues felt like “an eternity” away when he got that news, and he described the light at the end of the tunnel during that moment as “a blink.”

Enright underwent his first four rounds of immunotherapy from January-February 2023. In May 2023, he was returned to the Guardians from the Marlins before completing another round of treatments at the All-Star break. He had three more that October and four from October-November last year.

He has one round of treatment remaining, scheduled for November, and he is doing well physically.

“When he was diagnosed, he really didn’t want anybody to know about it,” said Enright’s mom, Betty. “He said, ‘Please don’t tell people,’ because what he didn’t want was people identifying him as, ‘You’re the player with cancer.’ And he was like, ‘I’m more than that. I’m still a player doing my best.’

“But as he’s gone through the treatments and he’s gotten better, and seen the light at the end of the tunnel, at this point, you realize that what’s happened with him could be an inspiration to other people. He looked up all the athletes that have had cancer, and they’re all that player. And that was what inspired him. He was like, ‘I can’t give up.’”

Enright was on the precipice of making his MLB debut a year ago, but a right shoulder strain limited him to 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus. His parents were in town this week to watch him pitch for the Clippers when he got the news of his promotion, so he was able to share that with them and his wife in-person.

Enright entered in the seventh on Sunday and struck out the first batter he faced, Riley Greene, on a 94.5 mph four-seamer up in the zone. He got Javier Báez on a foul tip with a 93.9 mph heater, and Gleyber Torres (the final batter he faced) on a 94.7 mph fastball on the outer-half of the plate.

“I’ve always felt like I’m good enough, but it seems this opportunity has just eluded itself for the last handful of years,” Enright said. “And so to be here, to be on that field and feel like I belonged, was a really good feeling. A really good feeling. “

After Enright retired Zach McKinstry to end the seventh, his parents stood up and cheered, and then shared a long hug.

“What a great story Nic Enright is,” manager Stephen Vogt said.