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  "path": "/white-sox/2026/06/25/former-white-sox-catcher-a-j-pierzynski-presents-pope-leo-with-2005-world-series-ball",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-25T21:09:56.722Z",
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  "tags": [
    "@Pontifex",
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  "textContent": "<p>When in Rome ...</p><p>That's where former <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox\" >White Sox</a> catcher A.J. Pierzynski is, and while he's there, he presented Chicago native and avowed Sox fan Pope Leo XIV with the last-out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, in which the Sox swept the Astros.</p><p>Pierzynski, now a co-host of the daily baseball show \"Foul Territory\" and a Fox Sports analyst, caught the last out of the game on a strikeout by Bobby Jenks. </p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" > <div class=\"TweetUrl\"> <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">An incredible honor to meet <a href=\"https://x.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Pontifex</a> and give him the ball that was the last out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. <a href=\"https://x.com/whitesox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@whitesox</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/81aT5UTOSs\">pic.twitter.com/81aT5UTOSs</a></p>— A.J. Pierzynski (@ajpierzynski12) <a href=\"https://x.com/ajpierzynski12/status/2070206847168950533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.x.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script> </div> </div> </div></div><p>“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 <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaBBBAYDiDJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\" target=\"_blank\" >Instagram</a>. “I was honored to give him the last out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, the game he attended.”</p><p>Pope Leo 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.</p><p><b>Contributing:</b> <i>Associated Press</i></p><p></p><p></p><div class=\"PageListL\" data-module data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" 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Tanner Bibee is slated to start for the Guardians.]}], audio=[], audioDuration=null, wordCount=88, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}], primaryTextColorInverse=#ffffff, titleColor=null, ampLink=null, listHeaderPosition=null, hideDescriptions=false, showActionBar=true, linkHoverColor=#d3242c, buttonBgColor=#d3242c, ctaTarget=null, suppressPagination=false, promoButtonText=null, backgroundColor=null, headerSecondaryTextColor=#ffffff, listTitleFont=font-2, headlineFont=font-1, promoDescriptionFont=font-3, _styledTemplate=/page/list/PageListL.hbs, primaryColor=#d3242c, pagination=[{body=[Next Page], href=?p=2, _template=/link/Link.hbs, contentId=null, pianoSectionSlug=null, target=null}], anchorId=list-4a0005, slimFooter=false, hideHeadline=false, hideDates=true, headerBorderColor=#e9e9e9, ratingCardFont=font-1, titleTarget=null, tableCaptionColor=#626262, mobileCarousel=false, tableEvenRowsBgColor=#f9f8f3, containerTitleFont=font-2, listBorderColor=#dfdfdf, defaultArticleLeadStyle=standard, title=Latest on the White sox, _parentFiles=[/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs]}\">Latest on the White sox</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items\" data-with-borders> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/06/25/white-sox-coach-jose-leger-baserunning-scoring-chart-miguel-vargas-tristan-peters-will-venable\" >White Sox coach Jose Leger has players competing in baserunning</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">The resurgent Sox have been aggressive on the basepaths, and those players who succeed are rewarded with points from Leger, who tracks their progress on a chart displayed in the clubhouse.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1782410410000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jeff-agrest\" >Jeff Agrest </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"727\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/06/24/back-to-back-jacks-tie-it-in-9th-but-sox-fall-in-10\" >Back-to-back jacks tie it in 9th, but Sox fall in 10</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Braden Montgomery and Randal Grichuk provide heroics, but Sox can’t complete sweep of Guardians</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1782355192000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/andrew-seligman\" >Andrew Seligman </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"519\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/06/24/brooke-fletcher-returns-to-white-sox-tv-booth-as-steve-stone-misses-another-day\" >Brooke Fletcher returns to White Sox' TV booth as Steve Stone misses another day</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">“It’s been an emotional 10 hours,” she said before Wednesday’s game against the Guardians. “I got home last night and I still felt like my head was kind of spinning. 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Tanner Bibee is slated to start for the Guardians.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1782322204000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jeff-agrest\" >Jeff Agrest </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"88\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><p></p>",
  "title": "Former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski presents Pope Leo with 2005 World Series ball",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-25T21:26:48.184Z"
}