They’re partying like it’s 2005 on the South Side. The White Sox are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2005 World Series title all weekend long, and one of their players got a special gift from the team’s most famous fan, Pope Leo XIV.
That squad’s first baseman and team captain, Paul Konerko received an autographed White Sox jersey from the pope, bearing both “Konerko” and “Pope Leo” above the No. 14.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Konerko said. “I’m sure my mom will ask for dibs on it.”
Konerko said he plans to autograph a jersey for the pope.
“I’m not sure he’s going to be as excited for mine to arrive, but we’ll see,” he said.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, right, presents former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko with a jersey signed by Pope Leo XIV during a ceremony honoring the 2005 World Series Champions before a game against the Cleveland Guardians on July 12, 2025, in Chicago.
Erin Hooley / AP
Robert Francis Prevost, now the pope, was born in Chicago and is a lifelong White Sox fan, and became the first pontiff from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Chuurch when he was elected in May and took the name Leo XIV.
Prevost attended the 2005 World Series opener in Chicago against the Houston Astros, watching from Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2 as the White Sox won 5-3 on the way to a sweep of the series for their first title since 1917.
Saturday’s ceremony came after the team unveiled a statue of pitcher Mark Buehrle on the right field concourse at Rate Field. Buehrle is the third member of the 2005 team to get his own statue at Rate Field. Konerko’s statue was unveiled in 2014 and Hall of Famer Frank Thomas got a statue in 2011.
Most of the key players from the 2005 World Series championship team were on hand at Saturday’s game against the Guardians, including World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, Konerko, third baseman Joe Crede, and their manager Ozzie Guillen, to reminisce about their dominant run through the postseason and share the moment with their fans.
“It’s just great to be back in the ballpark where we won a World Series and just see everybody that was maybe still here that was a part of it, and then just enjoy it with the fans, too,” Dye said.
“Just such a great feeling to know that we’ve won, and can come back and to this, because without this, I’d probably never see these guys ever again. You know, it’s great to see these guys, and like I said, we never missed a beat. We see each other, and everybody’s hitting on you, and doing everything they used to do,” Crede said.
The White Sox led the American League Central division for the entire season in 2005, finishing the regular season with 99 wins, behind only the St. Louis Cardinals in all of MLB, went 11-1 in the playoffs, and the starting rotation of Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras led the team to four consecutive complete game victories in the American League Championship Series against the Angels – the most consecutive wins for a team in a single MLB postseason.
The squad’s left fielder, Scott Podsednik, said in the years since that impressive World Series run, he’s done nothing but gain a greater appreciation for what they accomplished.
“You have to do a lot of things right. You have to have a special group of people to go accomplish something like that. So, again, it just speaks to the character and the heart and the determination of those guys,” Podsednik said.
Pierzynski said the 2005 team “should go down in history as one of the greatest teams of all time.”
“Wire to wire, 11-1 in the postseason, the complete games we’ve talked about, and it’ll never happen again, but I think this team was incredible, and I’d take this team to play anybody. Bring on whoever you want to bring on, I’ll take our shot,” Pierzynski said.
Of course, Saturday was also about remembering 2005 White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who died of stomach cancer just one week before the reunion that he so badly wanted to be a part of.
With his family on hand, his former teammates shared a moment on the field to remember their friend.
Konerko threw out the first pitch to 2005 White Sox to Pierzynski before the Sox and Guardians played the third of a four game series at Rate Field. The Guardians topped the White Sox 6-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the series ahead of Sunday afternoon’s finale.
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