It’s not unusual for the director to cut away from a shot of the field to the crowd during a critical moment in a baseball game.
It’s highly unusual for the cutaway to land on a fan who would someday become the leader of the Holy See.
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So it was in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. A clip from the Fox Sports broadcast of the game went viral on social media Friday, showing none other than Robert Prevost — the future Pope Leo XIV — looking on from the crowd.
Pope Leo XIV made the broadcast while at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series pic.twitter.com/VGSqkRFsSB
— Joe Binder (@JoeBinder) May 9, 2025
Prevost appears to be wearing a pinstriped Chicago White Sox jersey underneath his jacket, confirming reports that circulated Thursday that the first American pope is a fan of the team from his native South Side.
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The White Sox emerged victorious in the game at the former U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field), en route to a four-game sweep over the Houston Astros for the championship.
John Prevost, his older brother, confirmed the White Sox allegiance to multiple outlets, reiterating that their South Side upbringing left little doubt. Speaking with WGN, he said:
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” John said in an interview. “He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan—I don’t know, maybe that factored in. And our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from.”
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The White Sox’s victory over the Astros in the 2005 World Series marked their last championship.
Then known as Father Robert Prevost, the future Pope was the sitting Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine at the time he attended the game in Chicago.
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Pope Leo was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955, and studied at Villanova University and the Catholic Theological Union, and later studied canon law at Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Much of his missionary work has been in Peru, where he holds dual citizenship. He was appointed as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops by Pope Francis in 2023.
Former President Barack Obama, himself a White Sox fan, wrote on Twitter/X Thursday: “Michelle and I send our congratulations to a fellow Chicagoan, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith.”
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