94-year-old Tampa Bay Rays fan surprised with World Series tickets from granddaughter

PALMETTO, Fla. - A 94-year-old Palmetto grandmother and lifelong Tampa Bay Rays fan received the surprise of a lifetime after her granddaughter flew home to take her to Game 3 of the World Series.

Grandmother's deep love for Rays

The backstory:

Audrey Mahoney, 94, of Palmetto, has shared a deep love for the Rays with her granddaughter, Sarah Bolin, since the franchise launched in 1998. The pair attended countless games together while Bolin grew up before life took them miles apart.

When Bolin's husband joined the Army, the shared hobby shifted from Tropicana Field seats to long-distance phone calls and frequent text messages across domestic posts and overseas deployments.

Rays World Series surprise

What they're saying:

Mahoney still tracks every pitch and connects with her granddaughter during pivotal plays, according to family accounts.

"We text back and forth when something goes on," Mahoney said. "When Diaz gets up and hits a home run or when a pitcher just doesn’t do his job."

Bolin dropped the hint to her unexpecting grandmother. 

"I’ve told her six times over since we clinched," Bolin said. "I told her 6 times we were going to the World Series, she thought I meant the Rays were going to the World Series."

"Sarah was telling me we are going to the World Series," Mahoney said. "She was so positive about it."

Tropicana Field family reunion

Big picture view:

The surprise unfolded when Bolin flew into town unannounced after five years of living away.

"The other night she came home," Mahoney said. "I did not know it. She shocked me to death."

Bolin then gave Mahoney a Rays jersey and told her she would be wearing it to Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night.  

"You are not serious," Mahoney said with tears in her eyes. 

"I wouldn’t choose anybody else to do this with, especially because this whole season has been us talking about the Rays and getting angry with decisions and getting pumped up when they’re winning," Bolin said. "It has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions this year and a couple of years."

Dig deeper:

For Mahoney, the trip mirrors a piece of her own family history.

"My mother went in 1940 to a World Series in Cincinnati, and I get to go," Mahoney said. "It’s just beyond words."

"It’s a once in a lifetime experience for both of us," Bolin said. "Seeing the look on her face when we walk through the doors and the game, there’s going to be a lot of secret pictures and reactions."

The duo will sit in Section 124 along the third-base line, cheering on current favorites Taylor Walls and Chandler Simpson alongside memories of franchise greats Kevin Kiermaier, Evan Longoria and Wade Boggs.

Mahoney and Bolin will join roughly 40,000 fans filling the stands to cheer on the Rays for Monday's matchup. The pair plan to take in every moment from their lower-level seats behind third base as Tampa Bay continues its championship quest.

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