Updated

Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 12

White Sox Draw Nearly 41,000 to Pope Leo Night, Expanding Hat Giveaway Stadiumwide

Updated

Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 12

White Sox Draw Nearly 41,000 to Pope Leo Night, Expanding Hat Giveaway Stadiumwide

Q: Did the massive Pope Hat giveaway distract the White Sox enough to cost them a crucial AL Central victory?

No. The evidence points much more clearly to a bullpen collapse and missed late chances than to any distraction from the Pope Hat promotion. Chicago actually played well through most of the night. Sean Burke gave the White Sox seven strong innings, allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. The offense also responded early, building a 4-0 lead on solo home runs from Brenton Doyle, Edgar Quero and Miguel Vargas, plus an RBI double from Sam Antonacci. That is not the profile of a team mentally unfocused by a pregame promotion. The turning point came after Burke exited. Bryan Hudson failed to record an out in the eighth and allowed three runs, and Grant Taylor could not keep inherited runners from scoring as Cincinnati tied the game. In the 10th, Sean Newcomb allowed the automatic runner to score on Elly De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly. That sequence, not the festive atmosphere, decided the game. There is also direct evidence that the event was not consuming the clubhouse. Some players said they were barely aware of the full scale of the giveaway until shortly before the game. They embraced it in the dugout after home runs, but there is no factual basis showing it interfered with preparation or execution. If anything cost the White Sox a crucial AL Central win, it was relief pitching and late offensive inefficiency. Chicago blew a four-run lead and went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, while Cincinnati executed under pressure late.

Q: How did a historic tribute to a Chicago-born Pope end in a catastrophic bullpen collapse for the White Sox?

It ended with a blown four-run lead because Chicago’s bullpen failed to protect what starter Sean Burke had built on a celebratory night. The White Sox turned Pope Leo XIV tribute night into a major civic event, drawing 38,113 fans for a sellout and expanding the Pope Hat giveaway from a 2,500-ticket promotion to roughly 40,000 hats. On the field, Colson Montgomery, Edgar Quero and Miguel Vargas homered, and Chicago led 4-0 before Burke handed over a 4-1 advantage after seven dominant innings. He allowed just one run on three hits, struck out eight and walked none. The collapse began immediately in the eighth. Cincinnati opened the inning with three straight singles, including Elly De La Cruz’s RBI hit. After a flyout and a walk, Tyler Stephenson lined a two-run single to right, with De La Cruz diving home from second to tie the game 4-4. What had looked like a comfortable White Sox win vanished in one inning. In the 10th, the Reds completed the comeback. Automatic runner Matt McLain moved up on a deep flyout and scored on De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly, giving Cincinnati its first lead at 5-4. Reds reliever Emilio Pagán then shut the door with a clean bottom of the inning, punctuated by a 14-pitch strikeout of Sam Antonacci. So the historic tribute succeeded as a spectacle, but the baseball story was harsher: Burke was excellent, the offense did enough early, and the bullpen let the night slip away.

3 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 12

Nearly 41,000 fans filled Rate Field for the White Sox's Pope Leo Night after the team expanded a pope-hat giveaway from 2,500 special-ticket holders to the full stadium.
14,000 dollars went to the Midwest Augustinian Province during a pregame ceremony, tying the event to Pope Leo XIV's former religious order as the club leaned into Catholic pageantry.
Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw out the first pitch, Nancy Faust returned to play the anthem, and a fifth-inning 'peace be with you' extended the theme beyond the giveaway.
Brooks Boyer said the team wants to be 'super respectful' to the pope and Vatican, while fans treated the night as both a civic celebration and a hopeful sign for a White Sox turnaround.