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There is a chance that Pope Leo XIV, a.k.a Robert Francis Prevost, told Houston Astros Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio to get bent — or perhaps a milder heckle befitting a man of god — during the 2005 World Series, which he famously attended in hometown of Chicago as the White Sox won the championship.
After being elected to the papacy, a photo and video of Robert Francis Prevost attending the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros went viral, serving as a rare illustration of the life of an average American man who would eventually become the Pope.
He’s the first Pope from the United States AND North America. But 20 years ago, he was just a regular White Sox fan with a flip phone.
The Pope was really on the TV during the White Sox World Series in 2005😳 pic.twitter.com/iW40glGNhw
— Six Point Sports (@SixPointSports) May 9, 2025
“He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where all that came from. And all the aunts, our mom’s family was from the north side, so that’s why they were Cubs fans,” his brother told Chicago station WGN TV.
The Pope’s now viral White Sox fandom let to a recent photo-op of him wearing a black White Sox cap, leading Major League Baseball fans to joke about the fact that the leader of the Catholic church probably has obscure White Sox knowledge and knows of players such as Andrew Benintendi or disappointing prospect Eloy Jimenez.
“Can’t get over the fact that the Pope knows who Andrew Benintendi is,” joked one viral tweet.
“Sometimes I think about how the Pope was probably really disappointed in the development of Eloy Jimenez,” cracked a second popular post.
The White Sox may certainly need the Pope to turn things around, as they’re currently in last place in the AL Central following a 2024 season that saw them set the record for most losses in a season with 121.