Pope Leo XIV Receives Baseball From 2005 White Sox World Series Game He Attended

Pope Leo XIV now owns the baseball from one of the most significant moments in Chicago White Sox history, and it came from a game he watched in person more than two decades ago.

Former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski met with Pope Leo this week and presented him with the ball from the final out of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. Pierzynski announced the meeting Thursday on 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," Pierzynski wrote. "An incredible honor to meet @Pontifex and give him the ball that was the last out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series."

According to Yahoo Sports, television cameras captured the future pope, then known as Father Robert Prevost, watching from the stands that night at what was then called U.S. Cellular Field, now known as Rate Field. The stadium has since marked the seat where he sat.

In that game, pitcher Bobby Jenks closed out a 5-3 White Sox victory over the Houston Astros with a strikeout of shortstop Adam Everett. The win was part of a four-game sweep that ended an 88-year championship drought for Chicago.

The 2005 baseball adds to a collection of White Sox memorabilia the pope has received. The organization previously gave him a signed jersey from former team captain Paul Konerko and a game-used bat once belonging to Hall of Famer Nellie Fox. Leo's connection to the team became widely known after he was photographed wearing a White Sox cap at the Vatican, a moment that went viral among baseball fans.

The White Sox plan to honor the pontiff at their August 11 game against the Cincinnati Reds. Fans attending that game will receive pope-themed hats shaped like a miter with the team's sock logo in the center.