When Beau Parker and Michele Ozer met about eight years ago, they didn’t think their baseball passions would overlap. Parker, a Houston native, is a diehard Astros fan. Ozer, a Northeast Philadelphia native, is a diehard Phillies fan.

That changed in 2022. The couple tried to watch the Phillies-Astros World Series opener together, which ended in a 6-5 Phillies victory, and watched Game 2 in person at Minute Maid Park.

This wasn’t what Ozer was used to. As she sat down in her seat, an Astros fan noticed her Phillies gear and turned to her.

“You must be so proud of your team for making it this far,” said the fan.

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Ozer was not convinced.

“You were so nice to me,” she said with a hint of disgust. “So, to nice. A Phillies fan would never say something like that.”

Things went downhill from there. The Phillies won Game 3 in Philadelphia and lost their next three games. Ozer watched from the couple’s home in Texas. Parker watched from a bar in Houston.

“Have fun,” she told him. “Be happy somewhere where I’m not at home.”

A lot has changed since then. Parker, a 35-year-old engineer, and Ozer, a 31-year-old marketing coordinator, moved from Houston to Philadelphia last year and got engaged. When they were planning their wedding, they looked at the Phillies’ schedule to make sure their guests wouldn’t get caught in game-day traffic.

Then they saw that the Phillies were scheduled to play the Astros at home on August 26. They decided to schedule their wedding for that date. After getting married at the American Swedish History Museum on Sunday, they put their marriage to the test on Monday by attending the game as newlyweds.

It is unclear what the best outcome of this series would be for their future as husband and wife.

“She deserves a win,” Beau said.

“What a gentleman,” Michele said sarcastically. “But that’s not what he really thinks.”

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Ozer grew up in Somerton. Her parents, Alan and Joy, were diehard Phillies fans. Alan, who grew up in Mt. Airy, was in seventh grade when the Phillies folded in 1964.

He made sure to teach his daughter a lesson.

“Be prepared to be disappointed,” said Michele. “Just let yourself be pleasantly surprised.”

Joy added: “Our teams pull us up so high, we’re so euphoric, and then they pull us down really quickly.”

Beau had a similar upbringing. He remembers going to games at the Astrodome. Over time, he grew to love the Phillies because some of his favorite Astros players played in Philadelphia.

“(Billy) Wagner, (Roy) Oswalt, (Brad) Lidge,” Parker said. “It was an easy transition at first because, like Michele said, they don’t play that often.”

What was once easy has become considerably more difficult in recent years. Some of Parker’s groomsmen made comments about the 2022 World Series during the wedding. On the bus ride back to the hotel, they attempted to start a “Let’s go Astros” chant, but it was quickly silenced.

Some of those wedding guests will also be in attendance on Monday night. Ozer and Parker hope everyone behaves, but they will be more focused on the game and hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite player.

“Of course it’s Garrett Stubbs,” Michele said. “Because he played for both of our teams.”