J.C. Escarra, Cody Bellinger, other newbies relish first Yankees Opening Day: ‘I was floating on a cloud’

As J.C. Escarra left his hotel in Manhattan on Thursday morning, he found an Uber black SUV waiting for him out front.

A former Uber driver himself, the Bombers’ backup catcher hitched a ride to Opening Day as the Yankees’ social media team filmed the trip and interviewed him.

“I’ve never taken an Uber to Yankee Stadium, so it was cool to see the views, the bridge, Yankee Stadium from afar,” said the 29-year-old Escarra, whose next big league game will be his first. “It was a cool experience.”

What made the trip even cooler was Escarra’s conversation with the driver. Escarra told him of his inspirational story, which also features a substitute teaching stint and several stops with foreign and independent teams. The driver responded by congratulating Escarra and wishing him luck with the Yankees.

Escarra didn’t know the cost of the ride — Uber paid — but he certainly left a tip.

The trip left Escarra nostalgic. His walk through the Yankees’ clubhouse made him emotional.

“I was floating on a cloud,” a smiling Escarra said. “It’s a dream come true. No other way to put it. There was a time in my life that I thought I wasn’t going to be playing baseball no more. So to wake up this morning as a major league baseball player, especially for the New York Yankees, it means the world to me.”

Escarra, who joined the Yankees organization last year as a minor leaguer, added that his father rooted for the team after immigrating from Cuba and moving to Yonkers in the late 1980s.

“To see his son be a major league baseball player for the New York Yankees, it’s straight out of a movie,” said Escarra, who also cheered on the pinstripes as a kid in Hialeah, Fla.

Escarra wasn’t the only newcomer to the Yankees’ roster with a fatherly connection to their first Opening Day with the club.

Cody Bellinger’s dad, Clay, played for the team from 1999-2001. While Bellinger still has his dad’s gear and spent time around the Yankees as a kid, Thursday was his first-ever Opening Day in the Bronx.

He said he was “full of butterflies.”

“I’m just embracing the emotions,” Bellinger said. “It’s a special time, and I’m blessed to be here.”

Bellinger, acquired from the Cubs over the winter, added that his dad and other family members would be in attendance.

While new closer Devin Williams wasn’t expecting any special guests, he saw plenty of familiar faces in the Brewers’ dugout. Williams spent the first six years of his career in Milwaukee and grew particularly close with Bryan Hudson, Garrett Mitchell, Brandon Woodruff and Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta.

Williams looked forward to catching up with some of them this weekend, but he’ll be all business if he takes the mound against the Brewers.

“I’m gonna try and close them out,” Williams said.

In the meantime, Williams found himself eagerly awaiting pregame ceremonies on Opening Day.

“It’s gonna be dope, man,” he said. “I don’t know what their Opening Day traditions are here. I grew up in St Louis, where they had their Clydesdales and all that. So I’m really excited to see what they do here.”

Max Fried was also anticipating the festivities.

The face of the Yankees’ post-Juan Soto pivot, Fried is the leader of the team’s rotation with Gerrit Cole sidelined by Tommy John surgery. However, he won’t make his pinstriped debut until Saturday with Carlos Rodón taking the opener.

Fried seemed perfectly fine with that, as the scheduling allowed the longtime Brave to digest his new surroundings.

“I have no idea what to expect. I’m just gonna kind of take it all in and really just soak up the experience,” Fried said. “I’m excited to be a fan today.”

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