As Christina Ayala headed to Wrigley Field on Friday for the Cubs' return to the ballpark after the team started the season on the road, she had no idea she was about to embark on a new season herself.Ayala's boyfriend, Christopher Escobedo, dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him in front of the iconic Wrigley Field marquee and swarms of fellow Cubs fans flocking to Wrigleyville for the home opener against the San Diego Padres. Ayala's jaw dropped, her hands shook and her eyes brimmed with tears as she accepted his proposal."We're diehards," Escobedo said. "It had to be here.""This is our home away from home," Ayala added. Christopher Escobedo puts a ring on Christina Ayala after she said yes to his marriage proposal at Wrigley Field before the start of the Chicago Cubs home opener on Friday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times The neighborhood was crawling with Cubs devotees, and longtime Wrigleyville staples like the Cubby Bear and Sluggers were packed with fans ready to fly the W by the end of the game. The Cubs kicked off their season across the world to get swept by the Dodgers in Tokyo, then traveled to Phoenix to split the series against the Diamondbacks and finally swept the Athletics in their new West Sacramento, California, home. But fans say there's nothing like Wrigley Field."You can't describe it," said Tim Samson, who lives in the West Loop and dressed up in a bear costume for the game. "It's just outstanding."Ayala and Escobedo attend around 20-30 games per year, and they've raised their son Christopher Escobedo Jr. to be a Cubs fan from the start. The 2-year-old wore a custom Cubs jersey with "Lil Chris" embroidered on the back."This is his first home opener, but he was at a game by the time he was three weeks old," Escobedo said.Ayala is pregnant with their second child, a girl due in June. The Dunning couple expect one of her first outings will also be at a game cheering on their favorite team. "I was very surprised, but I'm very happy of course," Ayala said. "It's super exciting; it's just completing the circle." Christopher Escobedo cheers after Christina Ayala said yes to his marriage proposal Friday outside Wrigley Field.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Friends and strangers alike whooped and cheered as Escobedo slid the engagement ring on Ayala's finger. The two have been together for five years, and they began dating after Ayala's sister Ashley introduced them."These are my two best friends," Ashley Ayala said, tearing up. "And my sister deserves it." Family and friends take pictures Friday as Christopher Escobedo proposes to Christina Ayala at Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs home opener against the San Diego Padres. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Though other fans may not have the same momentous occasion to mark the home opener, that didn't stop them from showing out in full force. Most fans wore baseball caps or jerseys with Cubs emblems, but some prepped for the 40-degree weather with beanies and blankets. Others put some elbow grease into their home opener outfit.William Gonzalez's face was covered by a red-white-and-blue Cubs wrestling mask, and he carried a tricked-out Cubs wrestling belt. His dad, a Cubs fan in Mexico City, handmade numerous wrestling masks for him to wear throughout the season. For the home opener, he brought nine masks — one for each inning.Gonzalez is hoping his team makes it to the playoffs this year, but he's not betting on it just yet. "It's a toss-up," he said. "We could do really well or we could not. Just because it looks good right now doesn't mean it'll look good in July."Coming from the South Side in Gage Park, Gonzalez knows he is an outlier in a sea of White Sox fans. But he couldn't picture rooting for any other team. "Everybody shows they're a Cubs fan in their own way ... it all becomes one Cubs bond," he said. "I took a lot of crap from Sox fans, but I stood by my Cubs."Samson and his friend Roberto Ramos have been dressing up for years — Samson in a bear costume, Ramos clad in a Captain America-inspired ensemble."I'm the superhero superfan," Ramos said, calling himself "Captain Cubbo."Ramos grew up on Sheffield Avenue near Wrigley Field, and his fandom is as much a part of his upbringing as anything, he said. "For me growing up in this neighborhood, it's like a little neighborhood itself," he said of the area surrounding the field.The Varrassi family drove from Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, to celebrate the home opener. Brothers 10-year-old AJ and 9-year-old Lukas gripped their baseball gloves excitedly standing outside the gates."We're right in foul ball territory, so you never know," their mom, Kristen Varrassi, said.While his wife and sons were betting on a Cubs victory — and a home run for shortstop Dansby Swanson, AJ predicted — Adam Varrassi couldn't bring himself to wear Cubs gear as a longtime White Sox fan. Despite being in enemy territory, he grinned as he watched his sons list their favorite players."I'm just glad they love baseball so much," he said. William Gonzalez shows a luchador mask outside Wrigley Field before the start of the Chicago Cubs home opener on Friday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Chicago Cubs fans walk to the game at Wrigley Field for the home opener on Friday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Neal Williamsen shows his tattoo that celebrates the Chicago Cubs World Series win before the start of the home opener Friday at Wrigley Field.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Chicago Cubs fans walk to the game at Wrigley Field for the home opener on Friday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times People play cornhole at Wrigley Field before the start of the Chicago Cubs home opener against the San Diego Padres. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Tim Samson (left) cheers as Chicago Cubs fan Roberto Ramos looks on outside Wrigley Field before the start of the home opener on Friday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times ...read more read less