This is the time of year when some heartfelt moments occur in baseball clubhouses, as players learn they’ve made the MLB opening day roster.
Whether it’s a top prospect, or a minor leaguer who put years of work in to finally get the call, it’s always as special moment.
For the New York Yankees, the waterworks occurred in the office of manager Aaron Boone when he let catcher J.C. Escarra know that he was heading to New York instead of a minor league assignment after a terrific spring training.
Escarra was an Uber driver and substitute teacher to help pay his bills while he played for independent clubs for two years. It helped keep his major league dream alive.
Now 29 years old, Escarra doesn’t have to worry about that anymore, as Boone gave him something to call his mother and grandmother about. The Yankees captured the moment Escarra was tearful with his loved ones over FaceTime before getting back to work.
“It feels amazing,” Escarra said, via The New York Post, on Sunday morning. “Lot of time coming. I was just grateful to be here at first and now my dreams come true. Now is the easy part. Now is just play baseball on the biggest stage, so I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Escarra added that he isn’t much of a crier, but it’s hard not to when he knew how his mother would react.
“It’s just a special moment,” he said. “Special moment of what I’ve been through because she went through it with me as well.”
Escarra said he was making about $400 every two weeks while playing independent ball, and he also went to play overseas, no matter the season, to keep the dream alive. He was just trying to do “all those odd jobs just to provide for my family,” and there were times when he thought it wouldn’t work out.
Jump forward to this spring training, and you would think it a no-brainer Boone and the Yankees wanted him to break camp with the big club, as he hit .333 with three homers and eight RBI over 48 at-bats.
Last season, when he played for both Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Escarra slashed .261/.355/.434 with 12 homers and 64 RBI.
Now, he will be focused on making an impact where he can with this Yankees team that hopes to be back in the World Series after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers back in October in five games.
Escarra figures to be the backup catcher to Austin Wells.
“I feel like I did everything on my part to show I could help the team win. Thank God the opportunity’s here,” Escarra said.
The Yankees open their regular-season schedule at home in the Bronx against the Milwaukee Brewers. Escarra is expecting many friends and family to be on hand to witness the moment he makes his debut, which could come during that first series.
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