PITTSBURGH — Doug Harris was mowing his yard in 2015 after returning from the Arizona Fall League when he became very tired.
“My lawnmower felt like it weighed 1,000 pounds,” recalls Harris, 49, the Nationals’ assistant general manager and vice president, player personnel.
Harris saw his local doctor in Pennsylvania a few days later and learned his “white count was through the roof.”
The former minor league pitcher learned he had leukemia. But nearly four years later, Harris is back to full strength and trying to help the red-hot Nationals win an elusive World Series.
“All is well, Lord willing,” Harris said, while sitting in the Nationals dugout last week in Pittsburgh. “I feel very lucky to have the treatment that I have had. You learn to live your life day to day. You don’t take for granted each day.”
Harris appeared to beat cancer in 2017. But in the past year, he underwent cutting-edge CAR-T cell therapy at the suggestion of doctors. Harris last saw his specialist doctor in July at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City .
“My blood counts are normal, and the therapy has attained the desired molecular response,” Harris said.
Harris, who is Catholic, also received support from the church that his wife, Lisa, and their three daughters attend, Otterbein United Methodist in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He met his wife when he was playing in the minors in Memphis. Lisa Harris dealt with breast cancer in the past.
Harris estimates that he attends about 12 minor or major league games every two weeks. He is a trusted assistant to Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo.
“The days that I am not at a game, I am trying to be smart with everything I do,” Harris said. “There is never really a day off. There is always something going on. My health situation has allowed me to be me. Mike has been tremendous with that and the organization has been unbelievable.”
Harris grew up in Carlisle, pitched at James Madison University in Virginia and was drafted by the Royals in the fourth round in 1990. He made it as high as Triple-A in the Orioles and Marlins systems.
One of his teammates at James Madison was shortstop Jeff Garber, a longtime minor league instructor in the Nationals system.
“Doug has an incredible ability to bring people together to work for a common goal,” Garber said. “He makes everyone feel like they are part of a family and he gets them to believe that they can do great things if they do it together.”
Garber said Harris relied on family and friends during his health crisis.
“He has such a great family and I believe they give him great strength and are a huge motivation in his life,” Garber said. “He has had unbelievable strength to get through all of this and I believe all his friends tried to help in some way.”
One of his coaches at James Madison was Ray Heatwole, whose Presbyterian church’s Sunday school class prayed regularly for Harris.
“We talk a lot,” Heatwole said. “At first, I didn’t realize how serious this (leukemia) was. I know he feels like he is fairly clear (of the disease).”
After his playing career, Harris was a scout for the Texas Rangers for 13 years and spent one season with the Cleveland Indians.
He joined the Nationals in 2009 as the director of player development and shifted to his current role after the 2015 season.
Harris’ role has changed over the years, but he spends about 75% of his time on player development/minor leagues and nearly 25% of his time working with the major league team. He was with the Nationals in Pittsburgh last week and assisted Rizzo in trade talks in late July when the team acquired relievers Daniel Hudson, Hunter Strickland, and Roenis Elias.
The Nationals are 73-57 and hold the top wild-card spot in the National League going into Tuesday’s home game with Baltimore.
Harris is trying to do his part to help the team gain a fifth playoff berth since 2012.
“We pumped the brakes a little bit,” Harris said, referring to his health issues. “Fortunately I have been able to get back in the saddle this year and do what I am capable of and do what (Rizzo) wants me to do.”
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