If Javier Baez had any jitters before announcing his engagement to long-time girlfriend Irmarie Márquez, he hid them well during the Cubs home opener.
After his two homer performance, Javy took to Twitter the next morning to proudly reveal: “She Said Yes!"
But Baez actually popped the question a week earlier, during the Cubs' lone day off at home in between the Cincinnati and Milwaukee road series. Preparing to celebrate Márquez's birthday, Javy decided the time was right.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I wanted it to be really special and I wanted her to always remember her birthday with this,” Baez said.
He took his soon-to-be fiancée out for a romantic birthday dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse. Then the couple headed home and got ready to go to sleep, and while they were sitting in bed Baez proposed when the clock struck midnight and Irmarie turned 27.
“He acted normal, then he showed me the ring and it was then he got nervous,” said Irmarie, who was shocked.
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The couple met in middle school in Bayamon, Puerto Rico when Javier was just 13 years old. Six years later, they began dating, but Baez always knew she was destined to be his wife.
As for the details of the engagement ring, Baez came up with the custom three-carat design using JamesAllen.com. Irmarie had her eye on a specific setting, and to her surprise Javier sent the jeweler a screenshot from his cell phone to have it replicated.
It will be a busy summer for the Baez family. Their first child, a baby boy, is due in July and now a wedding is in the works. Look for the Baez couple to tie the knot in Puerto Rico in December 2018.