That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

Pope Leo XIV receives a baseball bat that once belonged to Hall of Famer Nellie Fox. (Photo via Vatican Media)

Holy Bat

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Pope Leo XIV, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955. The Pope recently visited Turkey, a positive visit of religious outreach preaching Peace to the world and Christian unity. Along the way, upon his return, he received an unexpected gift.

Chris Livesay, CBS News foreign correspondent, was on assignment traveling with Pope Leo when he gifted a baseball bat to the pontiff. It was a family heirloom from Livesay. This was not any bat, but one used by White Sox legend, second baseman, and Hall of Famer Nellie Fox. “Oh, wow,” The Pope exclaimed as he received the bat featuring Fox’s initials and number. “How did you get this through security?” he then joked. Pope Leo XIV roots for the Chicago White Sox.

The Chicago native has been widely reported as a White Sox fan, even sporting their cap during public appearances at the Vatican and playfully joking about the rival Chicago Cubs. Pope Leo is the first Pope to root for a baseball team in history. The late Pope Francis was a lifelong and avid fan of Futbol (Soccer here in the US).

Growing up in Argentina, Pope Francis probably had no choice since Futbol in Argentina is like a religion. Pope Leo is the first-ever American-born Pope in history and the 266th Pope. The first Pope was Saint Peter. Peter’s real name was Simon.

When he became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian faith, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, is often cited as the largest Catholic Church in the world, with a greater seating and standing capacity and a greater height than any other.’

Pope Leo XIV was named Pope of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, at the Vatican. Here in the United States, soon after he was elected Pope, both teams, the White Sox and the Cubs, claimed he was a fan. However, he wore a White Sox cap earlier this year and rooted from the stands during World Series Game 1 in 2016; his prayers were answered as the club celebrated its first World Series championship since 1917.

But when he gets a chance, he also roots for the crosstown Cubs. I am sure that, as a good man of Chicago, he prays for both teams. “Baseball is the only sport mentioned in the Bible. “In the Big Inning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

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