HOUSTON — Pope Leo XIV has replaced former President Barack Obama as the White Sox’ No. 1 fan.
The first American-born pope, and a Chicago native, Leo was pictured wearing a Sox cap during a public appearance at the Vatican on Wednesday, putting an end to speculation about which baseball team he supported.
“It’s great,” manager Will Venable said before the game. “I love the support. Need it.”
Leo’s brother John Prevost also quelled any notion that he supported the Cubs.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from,” Prevost told WGN-TV. “He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where all that came from.”
Rate Field will host a celebration of Leo on Saturday, complete with a video message from the pope. The emcee will be Chuck Swirsky, the radio play-by-play commentator for the Bulls on The Score.
Leo attended the 2005 World Series, so his Sox fandom runs deep.
Venable hasn’t heard from Leo and is unsure if the new pope knows who he is but said he’s “glad that he’s supportive of the White Sox.”
‘You have to take calculated risks’
Right-hander Shane Smith has been everything the Sox could’ve hoped for after taking him with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft.
Smith lowered his ERA to 2.37 on Tuesday after throwing six innings of one-run baseball. He has a 3-3 record in 13 starts and is making a strong case to be the Sox’ All-Star representative in Atlanta.
Smith’s fastball has drawn rave reviews, but it’s his ability to change his attack that has stood out to Venable.
“The first start, the changeup was nasty,” Venable said. “The next time, he was bullying people with the fastball, and then it was the slider. It shows his ability to adapt and have an understanding of himself and where he’s at that night, making the adjustment and going and performing.”
Identifying Smith is a win for the team’s research and development department. Director of pitching Brian Bannister said the synergy and communication between individual departments have improved greatly since he joined the franchise in 2023. Considering the team’s financial situation, he emphasized the importance of finding undervalued players.
“We’re not spending a ton of money,” Bannister said. “You have to take calculated risks. There’s a lot of credit to different people.”
Sox want more out of Quero
Venable said there’s still room for catcher Edgar Quero to grow behind the plate. Entering Wednesday, Quero had nine passed balls plus wild pitches.
He’ll work with pitching coach Ethan Katz, catcher coach Drew Butera and bench coach Walker McKinven to improve his receiving.
“We want a little more out of Edgar defensively,” Venable said.