There was a time, not too way back, when nobody would have even thought to ask J.C. Escarra for his autograph.
On Sunday night time, nonetheless, the previous Uber driver and substitute trainer’s signature was all it took to amass a private artifact, as Escarra traded a signed bat to the Yankees fan who caught the primary house run ball of the backup catcher’s profession.
“We’re gonna get that authenticated and keep that forever,” Escarra stated of the milestone ball, which he launched off Toronto’s Chad Inexperienced within the eighth inning of a 5-1 Yankees win that swept a doubleheader within the Bronx.
Escarra, the feel-good story of the Yankees’ younger season after years of working odd jobs and solely enjoying in overseas and unbiased leagues, obtained his cash’s value on his solo shot, which earned him the Yankees’ participant of the sport belt and a postgame speech. The left-handed swinger clubbed the ball 415 toes to Yankee Stadium’s proper subject bleachers at 105 mph, a no-doubter.
“A little flash of the power,” Aaron Boone stated.
J.C. Escarra’s first Main League house run was a LONG one 💪 pic.twitter.com/Tj8lkqUuq2
Escarra stated that hitting his first homer at Yankee Stadium whereas sporting pinstripes made the second additional “special.” So did having his spouse in attendance for the blast, a part of a two-hit, two-RBI sport. Different members of the family watched on TV.
“This is my team,” Escarra stated. “That is my household’s workforce. It’s a dream come true. I’m doing all the things as a Yankee, so it will possibly’t get higher than this.
Escarra added that his dad, a Yankees fan who moved to Yonkers after immigrating from Cuba, will doubtless take possession of the house run ball.
“That’s probably going to my dad too,” Escarra stated, as he additionally gifted his pops the primary hit of his profession. “He’s eating it all up. He loves it.”
So is Escarra.
Now a month into his huge league profession, the 30-year-old rookie is simply hitting .200/.310/.710 with three RBI over 9 video games. Nevertheless, he’s impressed the Yankees together with his abilities behind the plate; together with his game-calling, throwing and framing.
As of Monday morning, Escarra had the best strike fee of any receiver at 53.2%. He additionally ranked twelfth in Catcher Framing Runs.
“As much as we like the bat, he’s here because he can catch,” Boone stated. “He really earned that reputation in our organization last year.”
Escarra has additionally impressed together with his heat and upbeat persona.
Boone described it as “some presence and some chops,” whereas Luke Weaver, the Yankees’ unofficial nearer in the interim, stated “you can see the glow.”
Then once more, why wouldn’t Escarra be beaming?
“If you were to [tell] me two years ago that I’ll be here doing this, I’d tell you that you’re lying,” he stated. “It’s stuff that you dream about, stuff that you think about, goals that you have. But to actually do it, for it to be reality, it’s crazy.”
