Missed Connection Post Leads to World Series Date for Phillies Fan Who Got a Boost from 'Future Wife' at Rally
Courtesy of Erin Sweeney Jim Lindrooth and Erin Sweeney
Two strangers shared a brief moment at a Philadelphia Phillies rally after the team punched their ticket to the World Series. Afterwards, his friend made a move to find her so the pair could reunite and maybe even fall in love, giving fans something else to celebrate.
After getting separated from most of his friends in the crowd at City Hall on Oct. 23, Jim Lindrooth, 29, ended up locking eyes with a stranger, according to The Washington Post. He handed her a beer and then she offered to give him a lift on her shoulders so he could look for the rest of his group.
The good news? It worked. The bad news? Once he found his friends, he lost track of the supportive woman.
"Unfortunately, once she put me down, it was just kind of chaos," he told ABC station WPVI-TV. "So, we kind of just went our separate ways."
Afterwards, the outlet reported that Lindrooth told his friend, Laird Frazier, that he wished he had thought to ask for her phone number.
Fortunately for him, Frazier was down to help him by posting a "missed connection" message in a Facebook group for Phillies fans.
"It's worth a shot," Lindrooth recalled thinking, per WPVI-TV.
The next day, Frazier's plea for help finding the "heroine who literally lifted us up when we were down"— and got away — went live. Immediately, he won over the hearts of thousands of Phillies fans, many of whom were just as invested in finding the mystery woman.
"We believe that this woman very well could be my friend Jim's future wife," Frazier wrote in the Facebook post. "Please help us find her so that we can let this fateful interaction blossom into the love story that all Phils fans deserve."
"He's a real one-of-a-kind catch," he added in the post, going on to jokingly list some of his pal's best qualities.
"With Swedish genes and an unmistakable fashion sense (he was wearing a Phillies jacket and a Pokémon hat at City Hall if that helps), you'll never want to look away," he wrote, adding that Lindrooth "works in Finance and can easily fund his future wife's lifestyle, like whenever she wants to buy a new pair of Crocs."
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Before long, the post was flooded with comments, which ranged from fictionalized boasts about Lindrooth's own heroic acts, to more sincere replies from people who were touched by the story.
"I hope it works out!" wrote one commenter, while another replied, "This is hands down the best thing I've read on here in a long time. Best of luck to Jim, I hope he finds his girl!"
Added another, "All I am saying is when this ends in marriage, there better be a parade....."
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The best part? One of those enthusiastic commenters happened to be the mystery woman herself.
Hours after the post was shared, Erin Sweeney, 27, came across it on another Facebook group and instantly recognized the hat Lindrooth was wearing, according to The Washington Post.
"JIM I'M SO GLAD YOU FOUND YOUR FRIENDS!" she wrote in a comment alongside another photo from that night that showed him on her shoulders.
Then, in addition to the comments from strangers, the replies began to include messages from people who said they'd known Sweeney for years — and that if Lindrooth was lucky enough to go on a date with her, he " better treat her correctly."
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Since then, the pair have met up for drinks — and will be reuniting again for a World Series game thanks to a local law firm.
After seeing the story on Facebook, one woman was so moved that she contacted her boss, who agreed to give the couple his tickets to Wednesday's game, according to The Washington Post.
"Erin and Jim won't be 'dancing on their own' at the World Series game this week," the firm, Lopez McHugh LLP, wrote on Facebook. "Our firm was honored to share our tickets with these two Philadelphia Phillies fans for a great date night!"
However, while the pair say they do have plans to recreate the photo, don't expect them to pucker up if they get caught on the kiss cam — no matter what the fans who continue to root for them to get married might want.
Sweeney, who is single, told The Washington Post that she's "allergic to PDA," while Lindrooth said that ultimately, he's just happy they were able to reconnect.
"I'd be thrilled if I end up with an awesome new friendship because of this," he told the newspaper. "And if it became something more in a natural way, that would be fine too."
