'Means the world to me': Young using Players' Weekend to honor wife, sister

PHILADELPHIA -- With a purple cleat on one foot and a green cleat on the other, it was an honor for Jacob Young to represent the strength and perseverance of two loved ones who have long supported his baseball career.

As part of Players' Weekend on Saturday, Young wore custom-designed cleats to recognize his wife, Caroline, and sister, Stacy.

“It means the world to me,” Young said prior to the Nationals’ 5-1 defeat to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. “It’s a way to be able to celebrate two strong women, two people that have gone through it and are now on the other side and they continue to support other people and help other people through their struggles.”

Caroline was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2019 while in college, just a few weeks after the childhood friends began dating. She underwent five months of chemotherapy, and this December will mark five years cancer-free.

“It’s to raise awareness for people going through that,” Young, 25, said. “The family members and loved ones that are going through it, the people who are involved -- kind of secondary -- and how hard it is on them. Watching [Caroline’s] family, her mom and dad, I don’t think they ever thought that was something they were going to have to go through.

“Seeing the community support, people bringing them food, bringing them meals, trying to make their lives easier was awesome. I want to show that no matter who you are or what you’re going through with that scenario, there are people on your side, even up here in the big leagues.”

The Youngs teamed up with the Nationals to help spread support in a video interview ahead of Players’ Weekend.

"Being able to share my story, I want people to know you’re not alone,” Caroline said. “You are very strong, no matter if you are cured or you live with it for a long time. Or if you’ve lost someone, they fought hard.”

For his older sister, Young kept his cleats a surprise until the game. Stacy was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease as a teenager, and Young told himself that if he made it in baseball, he would help raise awareness.

“It’s probably something that not many people have heard of, honestly,” Young said. “The best way to describe it is, if your body’s a battery, instead of running on 100 percent like you should, it’s probably around 25 percent. There’s not a cure, necessarily, for it. You kind of just attack the symptoms and you go from there.”

Young beamed when he shared that Stacy is finishing medical school.

“She’s been a huge role model for me,” said Young. “The strength and toughness she’s shown throughout my life was a big inspiration for me. To be able to show her the cleats and wear them for her is an awesome privilege.”

Taking center field at a packed Citizens Bank Park, Young proudly paid tribute to two of the strongest people he knows.

“To be able to support them and to give them their 15 minutes or whatever you want to call it -- their nine innings -- it’s going to be a fun time,” he said. “I’m excited for them to see it and experience it.”