The last time the Chicago White Sox won a playoff series, the future Pope was sitting in Section 140 at U.S. Cellular Field for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.
Twenty-one years later, the White Sox’s most famous fan was cheering them on once again, this time from Vatican City, as the South Siders swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card, in a series that they never trailed in. The victory ended a 21-year postseason drought and gave the White Sox their first playoff series win since that 2005 championship run.
It has been a remarkable season for the White Sox, who entered the year with low expectations after losing a combined 324 games over the previous three seasons. But following an 84-win season filled with wild walk-off wins and comebacks, culminating in a dominant sweep of the Astros in the AL Wild Card Series, some are beginning to wonder whether the South Siders have had a little help from above.
As the White Sox popped champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse at Daikin Park, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with the media and reflected on the team’s improbable postseason run. Speaking with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Reinsdorf joked that receiving a letter from the Pope might be enough to change his faith.
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“Imagine a Jewish kid from Brooklyn getting a letter from the Pope,” Reinsdorf said. “I’m going to convert.”
Earlier in September, Pope Leo XIV, a Dalton native and lifelong White Sox fan, sent a letter from the Vatican to Reinsdorf. In the letter, Pope Leo thanked Reinsdorf for reaching out following the White Sox’s “Pope Night” celebration in August, when the team handed out thousands of “Pope Hats” and celebrated the historic connection between the first U.S.-born pope, his hometown and his favorite team.
He closed the letter by saying he would “willingly invoke the Almighty’s abundant blessings upon you.”
While much of the attention surrounding the letter has focused on Pope Leo’s reference to “abundant blessings,” his message went beyond baseball.
“Sports can truly become a school of life where all can learn that abundance does not come from victory at any cost, but from sharing, from respecting others and from the joy of walking together. In this spirit, it is my hope the White Sox will continue to foster bonds of friendship and solidarity among people,” Pope Leo wrote.
The White Sox have, in their own small way, done exactly what Pope Leo hoped they would. In a year marked by soaring gas prices, war overseas and deep political divisions at home, they have brought people from across the globe together.
Will Venable’s squad has become a source of joy and a reason for people to come together, not just thousands of Chicagoans who had grown disconnected from the team after years of losing, but fans around the world.
The team itself reflects that international connection. A Cuban-born third baseman and a Japanese-born first baseman have become close friends, while fans from across the globe have embraced a team that few expected to be playing meaningful October baseball.
Travel anywhere across the country and mention that you’re a White Sox fan, and there’s a good chance someone will bring up the Pope. Walk into Rate Field, and there’s an even better chance you’ll find fans who traveled from Japan to watch Munetaka Murakami play.
The White Sox have brought a sense of joy back to the South Side that hasn’t been felt in quite some time. And now, with the national spotlight firmly on them, they’re sharing some of that joy far beyond Chicago.
Across the country, fans are laughing along with Munetaka Murakami’s viral postgame interviews, watching Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas bark like dogs, following Sean Burke as he walks back his comments about not having a family, and watching a beer-soaked Mike Vasil answer questions in a way only he can.
White Sox fans already know what a fun, lovable cast of characters this team has assembled. But if reaching the ALDS wasn’t enough to keep them smiling, the thought of the Pope cheering on a team that plays with magic wands in the dugout, parties like animals after playoff wins, and even dry humps each other in the dugout probably will.
Jerry Reinsdorf’s conversion comment was likely a joke. The letter was not. The White Sox won a playoff series again, and the man in Vatican City wrote to say he was still watching. That is the blessing. The rest is baseball.
