JC Escarra’s dream spring in pinstripes now features a home run highlight.
In his ninth MLB game, the Yankees’ 30-year-old rookie catcher hit his first big-league home run, a 415-foot drive to right on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
“I didn’t feel the ball off the bat,” Escarra told reporters after his eighth-inning solo shot gave the Yankees a four-run lead, propelling them to a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The lefty-hitting Escarra’s blast off former Yankee reliever Chad Green came in the second game of a doubleheader that the Yankees swept.
“Amazing,” said Escarra, adding that it was even more special because “I did it at home here in Yankee Stadium.”
Escarra retrieved the home run ball from the right field seats, and in exchange, he gave a fan an autographed bat.
This first home run ball, like the baseball he rifled for his first MLB hit, is designated for his father, who once lived in Yonkers and attended Yankees games.
“This is my team, my family’s team,” explained Escarra, who was raised in Miami. Escarra’s wife, who is due with their first child in June, was at the stadium, but the majority of his family was in Miami.
“Everyone back home was watching on TV,” said Escarra, whose path to the majors included stints in the independent leagues and forced him to work odd jobs, such as driving for Uber, to supplement his income.
“If you had told me two years ago that I’d be here doing this, I’d say you were lying,” Escarra said. “It’s a dream come true. It can’t get any better than this.”
The Yankees won the opener, 11-2, behind lefty Max Fried, and have now won all six games that Fried has started.
Escarra caught the nightcap, in which Clarke Schmidt allowed only Anthony Santander’s solo home run in five innings.
Due to Escarra’s home run, Luke Weaver was unable to save the ninth inning.
But Weaver is now the first choice to get the final three outs, after manager Aaron Boone removed struggling closer Devin Williams from the role on Sunday.
