Inside the World Series wedding proposal
Carlos Correa’s proposal to his girlfriend of more than a year, Daniella Rodriguez, couldn’t have been more cinematic if it was scripted. Moments after the former Rookie of the Year and his team clinched Houston’s first World Series title, he stood with a microphone up to his face, all smiles during a post-game interview with Fox Sports. Then he paused. “Right now, I’m about to take another big step in my life,” he said, reaching for the back pocket of his white baseball pants. He turned over his right shoulder, locked eyes with Rodriguez and dropped to one knee.
“Daniella Rodriguez,” he told the 2016 Miss Texas USA, whom he’s been publicly linked with since last October. “You make me the happiest man in the world. Will you marry me?” Then came the tears. Rodriguez’s eyes welled. Fans behind her threw their hands over their mouths as their own tears began to drop. And certainly at least thousands of fans on living-room couches and bar stools across Houston and the wider world of sports let loose a tear or two as Rodriguez grabbed the gate separating her and Correa and threw it to the side to meet him on the field.
She choked back sobs, covered her face and ran into his arms, screaming, “Oh my God, oh my God,” before planting a worldclass kiss on his lips.
Rodriguez was so overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn’t even squeeze out an answer, until Correa asked, “Yes?” and she nodded as he slid the massive ring on her left hand.
The vintage-inspired ring, which Correa picked out with the help of Astros teammate Carlos Beltran, is perfectly on trend.
“It’s nearly impossible to tell from the photos that are currently circulating online; we believe it’s at least a 4-carat pear-shaped diamond,” said Tracey Lyles, a spokeswoman for jewelry-designing company Robbins Brothers, which has a large presence in Houston. Robbins Brothers didn’t sell Correa the ring, but it’s got plenty like it.
“Just last week we actually unveiled results from a recent survey, and vintage, fancy-shaped diamond rings are the preference of many,” Lyles said.
Rodriguez seemed to be pleased. The couple went public with their relationship through a series of Instagram posts, which date to last October. But they knew each other well before then. Rodriguez, 21, was crowned Miss Texas USA in 2016, and as part of her official duties, she threw out the first pitch at an Astros game last August. The couple now live together, along with a dog named Groot.
But she didn’t see the proposal coming. And neither did many others in the clubhouse.
“It was news to all of us,” Astros spokeswoman Dena Propis said.