In some unspecified time in the future, the spring of firsts — his first time cracking a significant league roster, his first at-bat — will begin to fade from J.C. Escarra.
He’ll settle into a task because the Yankees’ backup catcher, spelling Austin Wells and positioning himself to contribute when wanted all through the season.
Escarra has soaked within the highlight of being the feel-good story of the spring, however “when it’s finally done, I’m gonna enjoy it as well.”
All of it continued Thursday, when the 29-year-old — who drove for Uber and labored instead trainer to assist maintain his baseball dream alive — made his first profession begin behind the plate and picked up his first profession hit with a double down the right-field line within the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 9-7 win over the Diamondbacks in The Bronx.
Escarra bought the jitters out of the best way Saturday, when he entered as a pinch-hitter within the seventh. He’d already caught Carlos Carrasco, who began within the finale, a handful of instances throughout the spring, too.
He’d already began to “feel more comfortable.” And when he stopped urgent Thursday, what adopted was the “amazing” second of his first hit — the spotlight of a 1-for-4 evening.
“It’s funny how baseball works,” Escarra mentioned postgame. “When you don’t try to do too much, that’s when things come.”
Aaron Boone gave Escarra a heads up earlier than Wednesday’s sport that he may begin behind the plate the subsequent day.
After the Yankees’ loss, when Boone crossed paths with Escarra, the supervisor mentioned, “Hey, you’re back there tomorrow.”
Escarra instructed his spouse the information. His household, who noticed his debut Saturday however already traveled house, all deliberate to observe, too.
And after the sport, Escarra devoted the ball from the primary hit to his father, a longtime Yankees fan who lived in Yonkers for 15 years.
“Been through a lot,” Escarra mentioned of his father, “so he deserves that ball, and he’s gonna be blissful.
It took Escarra loads of time — and required a winding, twisting, sinuous route — to get right here. It took loads of work in spring coaching to earn the belief of pitchers.
He carved out a spot in Yankees historical past because the Thirteenth-oldest participant to make their MLB debut with the membership, and sooner or later, he’ll notch his first homer, first RBI, first of something and all the pieces else that may get tacked to his ledger.
After which, it’ll all turn into regular for Escarra.
“I want to feel it,” Escarra instructed The Put up pregame of the jitters. “I want to feel everything because that’s what makes it special and it’s part of it. I want to feel all that, and go back to all the work that I put in. Eventually, that feeling’s gonna subside, and I’m gonna go back to the work that I put in, the baseball that I know how to play and just compete.”
