Pierzynski presented Pope Leo with the last-out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, the game he famously attended as Robert Prevost, and the Pope revealed a secret.
It seems that every Chicago notable (and cute kid!) is finding the opportunity to visit the “Chicago pope,” and the latest visitor is A.J. Pierzynski, the former White Sox catcher who was on the 2005 team that won the White Sox their first World Series title since 1917.
At their meeting, he presented Pope Leo with the last-out baseball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series — the game the future pope attended as Robert Prevost, before his election to the papacy. Pope Leo XIV, who was raised on Chicago’s South Side, is famously known to be a lifelong White Sox fan.
Describing the meeting as “an incredible honor,” Pierzynski set the stage for a historic moment for sports and faith. The special gift celebrated not only the White Sox's historic championship run but also Pope Leo XIV's lifelong love for baseball. While other popes have certainly also enjoyed sports and athleticism, Pope Leo is the first known to love the American sport of baseball in particular.
Pierzynski, who was raised Catholic, arranged the private audience through friends. He wrote on his Instagram:
7 year old me, at my First Communion, would have never thought that I would get to meet The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.
The surprising conversation
Their meeting included the following amusing conversation, reported at The Athletic from Pierzynski’s account of the exchange:
“Hi, I’m A.J. Pierzynski,” the former major-league catcher recalled telling Pope Leo XIV.
“Oh, I know who you are. You don’t have to introduce yourself,” the Pope replied...
“Oh my gosh, he was like, ‘This is unbelievable.’ He was like, ‘No way, this is the ball?’ And he literally said, ‘I was at Game 2, too. But nobody knows that. They didn’t find me.’”
“As I was walking away,” Pierzynski said, “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.”
As baseball season gets well underway in the U.S. and around the world, fans can enjoy knowing that the Successor to St. Peter himself is following along avidly. In the very relatable words of one Reddit commenter:
I love that there is a nonzero chance that the Pope has had the feeling of looking at his phone and seeing "In Play, Run(s)" and leaning back with a frustrated sigh.
