Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Woman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise Tickets

Woman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise Tickets

Woman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise Tickets84 Y.O. Yankee Superfan Dad Goes To His First Ever World Series Thanks To Daughter’s Stubbornness84 Y.O. Hardcore Yankees Fan Dad Tears Up After Learning Daughter Is Taking Him To The World SeriesWoman Makes Dad’s Dream Come True As She Takes This 84 Y.O. Diehard Yankees Fan To The World SeriesNetizens Are Ecstatic For This 84 Y.O. Yankees Fan Who Finally Saw Them In The World Series LiveWoman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise TicketsWoman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise TicketsWoman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise TicketsWoman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise TicketsWoman Knows Dad Always Dreamed Of Seeing Yankees Play In The World Series, Gets Him Surprise Tickets
ADVERTISEMENT

Some dreams, no matter how hard we wish for them to come true, just never seem to happen. But when they eventually do become reality, the feeling is unmatched, and it creates the most beautiful memories that will stay with us forever.

One such dream recently came true for this 84-year-old diehard Yankees fan. The man who never got a chance to see his favorite team play in the World Series live could hardly hold back tears after realizing that his daughter just got tickets for the both of them. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: TikTok

Some dreams don’t come true for the longest time, only to blow us away when we least expect them

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: adorabaal

This 84-year-old retired New York City Fire Department worker dreamt his whole life of attending a Yankees World Series game, but never had a chance to do so

84-year-old Joe Baal has been a Yankees fan his whole life. He saw his very first game when he was just 8, which, incidentally, was also New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s last appearance on the baseball field. But no matter what, he never got to see them play in the World Series live.

ADVERTISEMENT

“My dad had always dreamed of seeing a World Series game, but it was just never in the cards for him – whether it was financially, the inability to travel, or the Yankees not being in the World Series,” shared the man’s daughter, Jaymie Baal DePalo, in an interview with People.

Image credits: adorabaal

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

When the team clinched a spot in this year’s World Series, the man’s daughter knew she had to get tickets for him

Nevertheless, Joe made sure to raise his 4 children just like he was raised himself, making them Yankees fans for life. That’s why, when his daughter found out that the team had clinched a spot in the World Series, she knew she had to get tickets.

ADVERTISEMENT

Of course, that wasn’t as easy of a thing as it may sound, because tickets to such a game are anything but cheap. According to Alex Andrejev of the New York Times, the average price for attending game 4 alone was around $1,600. And that’s not counting travel and accommodation costs.

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

ADVERTISEMENT

She couldn’t afford them herself, so she told her dad’s story online and asked for people’s help, who delivered almost immediately

Fortunately, Jaymie never knew how to take ‘no’ for an answer. Even though she couldn’t afford this trip herself, she decided to ask for the help of her friends, family, and followers by sharing all of this online. “By the end of the day, I had enough for his flights and even a few hot dogs if he wanted them. It was surreal!”

ADVERTISEMENT

It was clear that people understood the importance of making Joe’s dream a reality. After all, he’s not only a great dad and a hardcore Yankees fan, but also a retired New York City Fire Department grief counselor and a worker who risked his life to help during 9/11, which is most likely what gave him pulmonary fibrosis.

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

The man not only had his dream come true of watching a Yankees World Series game live, but he also witnessed them win, which made the whole experience perfect

When the woman finally told her dad what she did through the most heartfelt letter, the man got very emotional and could hardly contain his tears. When this wholesomely beautiful moment ended up on Jaymie’s TikTok, it quickly went viral, reaching nearly 324,000 views and more than 51,500 likes in a week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Of course, for the father and daughter of this story, the most memorable moments were those that came after. Jaymie shared that the whole trip, especially the game, “will live with me for the rest of my life.”

However, what made her the happiest was that she got a chance to make her dad’s dreams come true. After all, he may not have that many Yankees World Series games left in his lifetime.

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

While, according to Jack Baer of Yahoo, the Yankees managed to crush the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 4, this ended up being their only win in the series. After a great start in game 5, they fell short in the end, finishing it 7-6 and losing the matchup.

ADVERTISEMENT

Still, the team is not doing bad. But perhaps it could do better. As per Alex Kennedy of ESPN, in their existence, the New York Yankees have won 27 championships, which is more than twice as much as any other team. However, their last victory was in 2009, making it 15 years since they last won a title.

Image credits: Jaymie Baal DePalo

Image credits: adorabaal

Summarizing, in this series, the only game that the Yankees did win was the one that Joe attended. Thus, we could theorize that he was a lucky charm, and they needed him to be present to win it all.

While we seemingly made this deduction a little too late to help the team this time around, hopefully, they will learn from their mistakes and will invite their biggest fan to every game from the next season on. Because if anyone deserves a lifelong ticket, it’s Joe Baal.

ADVERTISEMENT

What did you think about this story? What’s your biggest dream? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

The commenters were very happy about this story, and even those who disliked the Yankees cheered for the man

ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Dominykas Zukas

Dominykas Zukas

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Hey! I’m Dominykas, and I come from Lithuania. According to my diploma, I’m a UX Designer. However, when during my studies, I (re)discovered my passion for storytelling, I’ve been doing that ever since, mostly in writing. I have written a few short stories, some songs, and a good bunch of articles, and I plan to keep expanding on all these fronts. Aside from that, I’m also a film buff, traveler, casual basketball player, video game enthusiast, and nature lover who will rarely pass up on a little hike through the forest or a simple walk around a park.

Read less »
Dominykas Zukas

Dominykas Zukas

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hey! I’m Dominykas, and I come from Lithuania. According to my diploma, I’m a UX Designer. However, when during my studies, I (re)discovered my passion for storytelling, I’ve been doing that ever since, mostly in writing. I have written a few short stories, some songs, and a good bunch of articles, and I plan to keep expanding on all these fronts. Aside from that, I’m also a film buff, traveler, casual basketball player, video game enthusiast, and nature lover who will rarely pass up on a little hike through the forest or a simple walk around a park.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
Freya the Wanderer
Community Member
2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a sweet story! Bummer that the Yankees lost, but at least he got to see the Bronx Bombers play a World Series game live.

Freya the Wanderer
Community Member
2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a sweet story! Bummer that the Yankees lost, but at least he got to see the Bronx Bombers play a World Series game live.

Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda