Meet JC Escarra, the Uber driver who became a Yankee

Just 2 years ago, JC Escarra was contemplating abandoning baseball. He was driving for Uber and moving arsenic a substitute teacher successful Miami, portion playing autarkic shot successful an effort to support his large league dreams alive. 

In the abstraction of 2 weeks, each that has changed.  

Last Thursday, the 29-year-old lined up alongside Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. successful pinstripes. After years of turmoil, Escarra was a New York Yankee connected Opening Day. 

'It's hard to enactment into words,' Escarra told DailyMail.com. 'I’m inactive connected unreality nine. It’s been my imagination since I was little, and present I'm surviving it out, particularly with the New York Yankees. It didn't travel easy, truthful I'm enjoying it a small spot more.' 

Escarra was a 15th-round prime by the Baltimore Orioles successful 2017 and spent astir 5 years successful the Orioles' insignificant league strategy earlier helium was released astatine the extremity of outpouring grooming successful 2022. 

But helium didn't springiness up. Escarra hustled. He played autarkic shot successful Mexico and Puerto Rico portion moving 2 jobs aft getting joined successful 2022. His woman Jocelyn, who is expecting their archetypal baby, besides worked aggregate jobs to marque ends meet. 

Escarra yet signed a minor-league declaration with the Yankees successful January 2024, and spent the play with the organization's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. 

But 2 weeks ago, helium yet got the telephone up. He was heading to the Bronx. 'You're going to the Big Leagues,' manager Aaron Boone told the catcher pursuing a beardown Spring Training. 

Many large names, including New York legends CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, person reached retired to congratulate the catcher connected earning his stripes, but Escarra's archetypal larboard of call? His mom, Marinelys. 

In a video that has since gone viral, Escarra was captured breaking the quality to his mom, who fto retired a squeal of delight.  

'It was conscionable a regular day,' Marinelys, who joined her lad astatine an quality astatine Raising Cane's flagship store successful Times Square for an quality for the chain, recalled.

'I was doing my location work, and past erstwhile helium called, I was talking to my mom. I answered it and it was normal, until helium told maine the news. Then I started screaming and crying astatine the aforesaid time,' she added with a chuckle. 

Any parent would beryllium arrogant to spot their lad measurement up to the sheet but aft seeing her lad spell from rock-bottom to the large leagues, Marinelys admitted that it meant a small more. 

'I was capable to spot him erstwhile helium was down and erstwhile helium was up, and his spot and perseverance to proceed fighting. When there's a win, you ever person to person work. So you person to person the conflict to beryllium capable to spot what is coming,' she explained, emotion creeping into her dependable arsenic the tears threatened to marque a return. 

'I continued crying until I got to the stadium,' she emotionally added. 

Escarra's ain accomplishment astatine Yankee Stadium bore a batch of emotion. When it was clip to marque the travel from his Midtown edifice to 161st Street for opening day, Escarra called for a car - an Uber to beryllium precise. 

It was a afloat ellipse moment, helium insisted. 'From what I've been done and what I had to bash to get to wherever I'm astatine today, having an Uber thrust to the stadium for my archetypal large league crippled is genuinely special,' helium said. 

Yet, adjacent stood connected the archetypal basal enactment singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' arsenic the reigning AL champions began their quest for World Series defense, it inactive didn't consciousness real. 

Escarra likened the 'euphoric' acquisition to starring successful a movie. And his fairytale has each the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster - 1 he's already picked retired the pb relation for. 

'Everyone loves a consciousness bully story. So utilizing my communicative to marque into a movie to beryllium inspirational to everyone retired determination would beryllium amazing,' helium admitted.

'Because it doesn't truly substance if it's shot oregon not, it's much astir inspiring radical to support chasing their dreams done hardships. So, I anticipation determination is simply a movie successful the adjacent future. 

'From the apical of my mind, Brad Pitt oregon Jake Gyllenhaal I emotion seeing, truthful if they get to play maine 1 day, that'll beryllium beauteous cool.'

And the Yankees' commencement to the play besides had the makings of a metallic surface sellout. The Bronx Bombers swept the Milwaukee Brewers to unfastened their 2025 campaign, including 20-9 and 12-3 wins. 

The Yankees person since dropped 2 games to the Arizona Diamondbacks but Escarra insisted that they volition beryllium bringing a title ringing backmost to the Big Apple. 

'We're conscionable seeing what we're susceptible of arsenic a squad and knowing we tin person games similar that,' helium said. 'We cognize we person a large team. We're the New York Yankees, we person pridefulness successful that. 

'I deliberation it's conscionable bully stepping chromatic into into the play that we're going to have. Start disconnected blistery and get adjacent hotter. We're trying to bring that ringing backmost to New York City, and that's what we're gonna do.' 

While the Yankees' bats person started disconnected hot, they've besides been controversial. Some of the Pinstripes, including Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe, has been utilizing caller bats designed by a erstwhile physics professor.

The torpedo bats, which diagnostic wood astir the statement country of the bat arsenic opposed to the barrel, person breached aggregate records and with their occurrence has travel criticism.

Barstool Sports main Dave Portnoy has led the backlash against the lumber pursuing the Yankees' opening bid dominance but Escarra has present deed back. 

'We've been utilizing them for a while. It's thing new,' helium insisted. 'We're not the lone ones utilizing them. There's a clump of different teams utilizing them. 

'At the extremity of the day, I don't find a large difference. You've inactive got to plaything the bat and deed the shot successful the barrel. It's conscionable tiny things that guys effort to get better, and that's wherever the game's going.

'It doesn't truly matter, arsenic agelong arsenic MLB approves them which they have. They're wholly legal. Anyone could usage them, truthful it's just game. 

'I could personally archer you that it's not needfully going to marque you deed the shot further oregon harder, but possibly it's mental.'

Escarra made his debut connected March 29 for the 2nd crippled of the play but hasn't had excessively overmuch accidental to wield the torpedo bats himself. He's lone had 2 appearances astatine the plate, playing backmost up to Austin Wells amid the Yankees' catcher depth. 

Instead, he's been adjusting to the Big Apple, soaking up the 'crazy' manner with his parents, wife, Jocelyn, and their soon-to-be caller summation to the family. 

'Having our archetypal babe astatine the aforesaid clip that I'm surviving my imagination is precise peculiar to us,' Escarra said. 

'I'm blessed that I'm not the lone 1 that's gonna acquisition it. I person my ma present and my dada here, my wife, our small babe boy, that's that's connected this way. We're each gonna bask it together.'