When Christina Ayala walked through Wrigleyville on her way to watch the Cubs launch a new season, she had no idea she was also on her way to launch a new phase of her life.
Ayala’s boyfriend, Christopher Escobedo, dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him in front of the iconic Wrigley Field marquee and swarms of fellow Cubs fans coming out on opening day. Ayala’s jaw dropped, her hands shook and her eyes brimmed with tears as she accepted his proposal.
“We’re diehards,” Escobedo said. “It had to be here.”
“This is our home away from home,” Ayala added.
The neighborhood was crawling with eager Cubs fans waiting to watch the first home game of the 2025 season on Friday, and longtime Wrigleyville staples like the Cubby Bear and Sluggers were packed with fans hoping to fly the W by the end of the game against the San Diego Padres. The Cubs kicked off their season across the world to get swept by the Dodgers in Tokyo, then traveled to Phoenix to split the series against the Diamondbacks and finally swept the Athletics in their new West Sacramento home. But fans say there’s nothing like Wrigley Field.
“You can’t describe it,” said Tim Samson , who dressed up in a bear costume for the game. “It’s just outstanding.”
Ayala and Escobedo attend around 20-30 games per year, and they’ve raised their son Christopher Escobedo Jr., 2, to be a Cubs fan from the start.
“This is his first home opener, but he was at a game by the time he was three weeks old,” Escobedo said.
