Pope Leo XIV Receives 2005 World Series Baseball As Gift From Ex-White Sox Star

Pope Leo XIV is a huge fan of the Chicago White Sox and has not been shy of expressing his love for the AL Central side.

Pope Leo XIV Receives 2005 World Series Baseball As Gift From Ex-White Sox Star

Pope Leo XIV (Image via X/@FoulTerritoryTV/The Guardian)

Pope Leo XIV‘s love for baseball is well documented. Recently, he received a 2005 World Series baseball as a gift from a former Chicago White Sox star.

Previously known as Robert Francis Prevost, the Pope is a huge fan of the White Sox. The head of the Catholic Church has often expressed his passion for the game and rooted for his native team.

On Wednesday, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski met the Pope at the Vatican. The 2-time MLB All-Star was seemingly worried that one of the world’s most famous White Sox fan would not know him.

To his surprise, he does know who Pierzynski is. After all, he attended the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Houston Astros, who, at that time, were a National League team. The former MLB star was the catcher for the White Sox back then.

Last year in May, a photo of him (Pope Leo) went viral. In a photo shared by the Chicago Sun-Times, he was seen attending the 2005 World Series against the Astros at the Rate Field.

Pierzynski played an integral part in the team winning their first World Series in 88 years. They swept the Astros 4-0 with their catcher hitting .262 with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs in their 11 championship games.

During his meeting with the pontiff, Pierzynski gave him a signed shirt and the ball from the final out of the game. As the World Series winner started to walk away, he informed Pope Leo about how the team was doing. The 70-year-old then smiled and expressed that he was watching the games and paying attention to what is happening.

Oh, I’m watching and paying attention, don’t worry.

Pope Leo XIV told A.J. Pierzynski

Pope Leo has not been shy about showcasing his love for the team. Last year, during a rally, a fan tried to heckle him with a “Go Cubs” comment in reference to White Sox’s city rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

He would end up trolling the heckler. In a video that went viral on social media, he could be seen shouting, “Han perdido! They lost!” towards the heckler.

In another rally, he was seen joining the fans in chants of the White Sox. He even donned the team’s cap during one rally in the Vatican.

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White Sox have been on the rise since Pope Leo took charge

The Chicago White Sox have emerged as one of the contenders this season in the American League this season. The team has been on the rise since Pope Leo XIV became the new head of the Catholic Church. It seems his miracles are working.

Pope Leo XIV is a Chicago White Sox fan
Pope Leo XIV (Image via Yahoo)

Honestly, the White Sox have improved this season. After finishing with the worst record in the league at 41-121 in 2024, the team finished 60-102 in 2025.

While they still lost over 100 games last season, there were some signs of improvement. This year, they have taken the league by surprise with a stunning turnaround.

Miguel Vargas has been one of the most improved players this season. He has 17 home runs and 45 RBIs so far with a .240 batting average. Last year, he hit .236 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs.

The addition of Munetaka Murakami has also worked out well for the team. The Japanese international has slugged 20 home runs and has 41 RBIs in his debut season in the major league.

This week, they took 2 out of the 3 against their division rivals, the Cleveland Guardians. With that series win, they are 41-38 for the year and sit at the top of the AL Central standings. In the AL, they have the third-best record, only behind the 45-33 Tampa Bay Rays and 48-32 New York Yankees.

The last time the White Sox finished with a winning record was in 2021, when they went 93-69. They went on to lose 3-1 in the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Houston Astros.

Given the form they 2 years ago, very few would have seen them competing for the division title. This weekend, they will face the Kansas City Royals before going on the road and facing the Baltimore Orioles and the Guardians.

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