There was a time, not too long ago, when no one would have even thought to ask J.C. Escarra for his autograph.
On Sunday night, however, the former Uber driver and substitute teacher’s signature was all it took to acquire a personal artifact, as Escarra traded a signed bat to the Yankees fan who caught the first home run ball of the backup catcher’s career.
“We’re gonna get that authenticated and keep that forever,” Escarra said of the milestone ball, which he launched off Toronto’s Chad Green in the eighth inning of a 5-1 Yankees win that swept a doubleheader in the Bronx.
Escarra, the feel-good story of the Yankees’ young season after years of working odd jobs and only playing in foreign and independent leagues, got his money’s worth on his solo shot, which earned him the Yankees’ player of the game belt and a postgame speech. The left-handed swinger clubbed the ball 415 feet to Yankee Stadium’s right field bleachers at 105 mph, a no-doubter.
“A little flash of the power,” Aaron Boone said.
J.C. Escarra’s first Major League home run was a LONG one 💪 pic.twitter.com/Tj8lkqUuq2
— MLB (@MLB) April 27, 2025
Escarra said that hitting his first homer at Yankee Stadium while wearing pinstripes made the moment extra “special.” So did having his wife in attendance for the blast, part of a two-hit, two-RBI game. Other family members watched on TV.
“This is my team,” Escarra said. “This is my family’s team. It’s a dream come true. I’m doing everything as a Yankee, so it can’t get better than this.
Escarra added that his dad, a Yankees fan who moved to Yonkers after immigrating from Cuba, will likely take possession of the home run ball.
“That’s probably going to my dad too,” Escarra said, as he also gifted his pops the first hit of his career. “He’s eating it all up. He loves it.”
So is Escarra.
Now a month into his big league career, the 30-year-old rookie is only hitting .200/.310/.710 with three RBI over nine games. However, he’s impressed the Yankees with his skills behind the plate; including his game-calling, throwing and framing.
As of Monday morning, Escarra had the highest strike rate of any receiver at 53.2%. He also ranked 12th in Catcher Framing Runs.
“As much as we like the bat, he’s here because he can catch,” Boone said. “He really earned that reputation in our organization last year.”
Escarra has also impressed with his warm and upbeat personality.
Boone described it as “some presence and some chops,” while Luke Weaver, the Yankees’ unofficial closer for the time being, said “you can see the glow.”
Then again, 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 said. “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.”
