She carried a stranger on her shoulders to help him find his friends and now fans want them to marry

The scene was one of jubilant chaos. The Philadelphia Phillies had just bagged an unexpected victory—winning a ticket to the World Series for the first time in 13 years—and fans were over the moon, whooping and hugging strangers in the crowd that had gathered to celebrate near City Hall on October 23, 2022. In the midst of it all, Jim Lindrooth, 29, and his friend Laird Frazier, 30, became separated from the rest of their group. As the duo waded through the throng searching for their buddies, Lindrooth made eye contact with a woman who gestured for one of the beer cans he'd been tossing to partygoers.

According to The Washinton Post, as Lindrooth handed her a beer, the woman—having overheard their conversation about searching for their friends—offered to give him a lift on her shoulders so he could look for the rest of his group. Thanks to the boost she provided, Lindrooth's pals spotted him atop her shoulders and made their way over. Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of it all, he lost track of the friendly stranger and was left wishing he'd taken more time to talk to her or thought to ask for her phone number.

His friend's conundrum reminded Frazier of the Craigslist-era tradition of "missed connections," where individuals would post a listing describing a chance encounter and ask the object of their affection to reach out if they're interested in taking things further. Inspired, Frazier took to The Philadelphia Phillies Fan Group on Facebook with a witty call for action. "It was the last that Jim saw of the heroine who literally lifted us up when we were down and helped us salvage our celebratory evening," he wrote. "This is where we need your help. We believe that this woman very well could be my friend Jim's future wife. We don't know her name, just that she was hot, thirsty, kind, and sturdy—which checks all the boxes for Jim's ideal mate. Please help us find her so that we can let this fateful interaction blossom into the love story that all Phils fans deserve."

The blurb also featured a detailed endorsement of his friend, presenting Lindrooth as a "real one-of-a-kind catch" with "Swedish genes and an unmistakable fashion sense." The post quickly gained traction online with thousands flooding it with comments that ranged from fictitious tales about Lindrooth's heroic acts to sincere replies from people who were touched by the story. To the internet's joy, one of those enthusiastic commenters was the mystery woman herself. Erin Sweeney, 27, revealed herself as Lindrooth's helpful stranger and responded to the post with a picture of him perched atop her shoulders. "JIM I'M SO GLAD YOU FOUND YOUR FRIENDS," she wrote in all caps.

Philly fans across the city became so invested in Lindrooth and Sweeney's story that they began advocating for the pair to see each other again. Martha Agnew, who had been following the new-age love saga on Facebook since the very beginning, decided to play the role of a fairy godmother and contacted her boss, James J. McHugh Jr. of the law firm Lopez McHugh. He agreed to donate his own tickets to the pair for Game 4 of the series. Lindrooth and Sweeney—who met for drinks after work last week—gratefully accepted the tickets and even recreated their photo at the game on Wednesday.

Although some fans were hoping they would be featured on the kiss cam, Sweeney—who is single—made it clear that she does not want to be put on the spot. She explained that she's "allergic to PDA" and "would faint" if the pressure was on. And while some have even been fantasizing about the pair potentially getting married someday, Lindrooth and Sweeney aren't thinking that far ahead. "I'd be thrilled if I end up with an awesome new friendship because of this," said Lindrooth. "And if it became something more in a natural way, that would be fine too."

This article originally appeared 2 years ago.