For two New Jersey high school students, the proposal might be more special than the dance itself.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper recently assisted Haddonfield Memorial High School senior Jake Portella with his prom proposal.
In a viral video, Harper and Portella approach Giulia Leonetti’s door. When Leonetti answers, she is visibly surprised to see Harper. “I’m going to cry,” she exclaimed. Harper then asks her to prom on behalf of Portella.
Leonetti accepted the invitation and hugged Harper.
“You’re the GOAT,” she told Harper. Then, Leonetti hugged her prom date.
The video concludes with Harper shaking hands with Leonetti’s father.
Portella shared that he had knocked on Harper’s door, and the two-time NL MVP was instantly willing to help. Portella’s heart raced as Harper accompanied him to Leonetti’s home.
“I said I go to high school in town and I got prom coming up and I would love it if he could help do my promposal with me because she’s a really big Phillies fan,” Portella said.
“Me and my friends were out in the street when he says, ‘Do you want to do it right now?’ And we just looked at each other, jaws drop, and we are like, there is no way he just agreed to this,” he added.
Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott recalled his own prom proposal in high school, noting that he used a poster to ask his date, rather than enlisting one of the best baseball players in the world.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson found the prom proposal “cute.”
Thomson joked that he missed his own prom in high school because he had a game to attend.
Unfortunately, Harper will not be able to attend Haddonfield Memorial High School’s prom on June 14, as the Phillies will be playing the Baltimore Orioles out of town.
Meanwhile, Portella and Leonetti are considering Phillies-themed colors for their prom attire. They are still trying to process the viral moment.
“I heard a lot of stories about how celebrities are mean, and I never really expected someone as popular as him to do something like that for me,” Portella said.“It means a lot that Jake recognized that and it was so thoughtful to even think of that,” Leonetti said.
