Pope Leo is not letting his papacy interfere with his Chicago White Sox fandom.
The pope recently hosted former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski for a brief visit at the Vatican. The 2-time All-Star introduced himself to the Catholic Church leader, who responded with, “You don’t have to introduce yourself.”
Pierzynski gifted Pope Leo a signed jersey and the ball from the final out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, which the pope famously attended with the photos to prove it. Pierzynski also recounted a golden exchange he had with Pope Leo as the two were about to part ways.
“It was kind of as I was walking away,” Pierzynski said, via The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “I said, ‘Hey, White Sox are in first place.'”
“He just looked at me and goes, ‘Oh, I’m watching and paying attention, don’t worry.’ And he just kind of smiled at me.”
Pierzynski added that Pope Leo called the present “unbelievable” and revealed that he had also attended Game 2, but White Sox fans have yet to unearth any snapshots of him there.
The baseball gods seemed to have smiled the White Sox’s way after Pierzynski’s visit. On Friday, Chicago’s South Side squad clobbered the Kansas City Royals 22-1, keyed by a divine 10-run third inning that nearly saw the entire lineup bat twice.
The win kept the White Sox a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central.
