RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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With Pope Leo XIV on their side, the Chicago White Sox invoked their most prominent fan on Tuesday, with a pope hat giveaway for their home game against the Cincinnati Reds.
The giveaway energized the home fans and became part of the team's home run celebrations. But unfortunately for the White Sox, they could not muster a win to honor Pope Leo, losing 5-4 in 10 innings .
The pope hats were hard to miss from moment the doors at Rate Field opened. Fans poured into the concourse proudly sporting the roughly 40,000 pope hats that were given away to the sellout crowd.
the ballpark is a holy place 🙏 pic.twitter.com/9bt203D94O
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) August 11, 2026
Some fans dressed for the occasion and posed for pictures on the concourse.
White Sox fans are excited about tonight's "Pope Hat" giveaway! 🎥 @jon_greenberg pic.twitter.com/dO6fkwJHtz
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 11, 2026
When it was time for the first pitch, the Sox stuck with the theme.
Notable White Sox fan Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield took the mound with some flash and threw a breaking ball over the plate to get the festivities underway.
How many runs did Sister Mary Jo Sobieck give up tonight? Nun. #Royals | #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/bkAKuvAtoD
— FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City (@FanDuelSN_KC) August 19, 2018
It wasn't her first rodeo. Sister Mary Jo made headlines in 2019 with another strong first pitch for the White Sox.
Once the game began, the pope hats made their way to the White Sox's dugout and became a featured prop after Brenton Doyle's first-inning home run that gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
Brenton Doyle with his first #whitesox HR. And with a pope hat celebration pic.twitter.com/DwcWGdLqox
— Brooke Fletcher (@BrookeFletcher) August 11, 2026
Organist Nancy Faust, meanwhile, rocked pope gear while behind the keys.
Went to see Nancy Faust. Edgar Quero homered. Got to see this in person. pic.twitter.com/t8m1kotdeY
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) August 12, 2026
Alas, the good times didn't translate to a win for the home team.
The Reds rallied from a 4-0 deficit after four innings to force extra innings, and an Elly De La Cruz sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th was enough to secure a Cincinnati win.
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