Pope Leo XIV has received a special gift from former Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
The pontiff has been given the baseball from the final out of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. It was unclear when exactly the exchange occurred, but Pierzynski posted pictures on social media on Thursday showing the moment at the Vatican.
“7 year old me, at my First Communion, would have never thought that I would get to meet The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV,” Pierzynski wrote on Instagram. “I was honored to give him the last out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, the game he attended.”
Leo is a White Sox fan dating to his days growing up in Chicago. He was known as Robert Prevost or Father Bob when he went to the World Series opener 21 years ago, a 5-3 White Sox victory that ended when Bobby Jenks struck out Houston’s Adam Everett with Pierzynski behind the plate.
There is a graphic installation at Rate Field that marks the section where the pope sat for Game 1. The White Sox went on to a four-game sweep for the championship.
The first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church has received several sports-related gifts since he was elected last May.
He was given a pinstriped No. 14 White Sox jersey with “Konerko” and “Pope Leo” written on the back and signed by former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who wore No. 14 during his playing career. He also has a bat that once belonged to Hall of Famer Nellie Fox, who spent most of his career with the White Sox.
Shortly after he became the pope, Leo was given a custom Chicago Bears jersey from Vice President JD Vance. He was presented with a Chicago Bulls jersey with No. 14 and “Pope Leo” on the back from Bulls radio broadcaster Chuck Swirsky in November.
The White Sox plan to pay tribute to Leo at their Aug. 11 game against Cincinnati, handing out pope-themed hats to fans. The hats are shaped like the pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle.
