The Chicago White Sox received a letter from Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday, the same day the team opened its American League Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros. The team reported that the correspondence arrived at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field ahead of the first game of the best-of-three series. Following the delivery, the White Sox defeated the Astros 6-3 in the playoff opener.
Pope Leo XIV, who grew up in Chicago and is a fan of the team, previously attended the 2005 World Series opener as Robert Prevost, or Father Bob. That game resulted in a 5-3 White Sox victory over the Astros. The pontiff’s recent letter was addressed to White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and served as a response to a note Reinsdorf sent after the team honored the Pope during an Aug. 11 game against the Cincinnati Reds.
In the letter, dated Sept. 9, Leo wrote that he hoped the team would "continue to foster bonds of friendship and solidarity among people, and thus bear hopeful witness to the possibility of living and working together in peace." White Sox manager Will Venable stated that having the Pope’s support "means a lot" to the club. When asked by reporters recently if he was responsible for the team's improvement this season, the Pope declined to comment.
The communication reaches a Major League Baseball franchise that finished the regular season with an 84-78 record to secure a wild-card berth. The team lost at least 101 games in each of the previous three seasons.
The White Sox and Astros will continue their best-of-three series following the Tuesday opener. Specific dates for the remaining games in the series were not reported.