In one section of the stands at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, fans experienced an emotional roller coaster. And it had nothing to do with the game being played on the field.
Andrew Fox was all ready to surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal when he realized he was missing the one thing that mattered most — the ring. Fox, sporting a Yankees jersey, appeared crestfallen as he desperately looked around him for the lost ring in a section-wide hunt that lasted about five suspenseful minutes.
“I literally started crying because I thought it was lost,” Fox, of Bethlehem, Pa., told ESPN. “It happened so fast.”
With everyone invested in the search — even the cameramen — his girlfriend, Heather Terwilliger of Fredonia, N.Y., finally searched the cuffs of her own bell-bottom jeans. She spotted the ring and smiled as the surrounding fans and TV announcers erupted in celebration.
“I didn’t know how to react,” Terwilliger said.
“We got it!” the ESPN announcers shouted over the air. “Yes, yes, yes! Woohoo! And she found the ring. Please say yes.”
After Mark Teixeira hit a single, the camera switched back to the couple, whose kiss allowed everyone to let out a sigh of relief. She said yes despite the miscue.
“Way better than the game,” one announcer admitted.