Eduardo Escobar Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Teammates keep pranking Eduardo Escobar over his irrational fear at WBC

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Tyler Koerth_ | Last updated 3/18/23

Team Venezuela has enjoyed success so far in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. They managed to win a very tough Pool D that featured teams such as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Their next match-up will be Saturday as they take on Team USA in a quarterfinal showdown. In between games, the team has been having a lot of fun together and has been hilariously pranking Eduardo Escobar over his fear of cats.

Team Venezuela has been putting Eduardo Escobar through hell over his fear of cats. pic.twitter.com/iNdoW5K3Lm

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) March 18, 2023

Escobar, a 34-year-old switch hitter who has played for the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Mets over his 12-year career, has been a victim of several pranks from his Venezuelan teammates.

The video above outlines a few pranks that include cat noises startling Escobar and even bringing in a live cat to the kitchen and batting cages. Every time Escobar’s response is the same: pure panic.

According to Scott Chiusano of MLB.com, Escobar’s fear of cats may have started in early childhood following an incident. Dating back to 2019, teammates had tried to help him overcome his fear by showing him pictures of cats on their phones, but even that would send him scampering away.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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