On May 8, 2025, Chicago native and Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. Soon after the announcement, news broke that the newest Holy Man was a lifelong White Sox fan who was in the crowd for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. Because Chicago can’t be chill about anything, and the White Sox needed something good to cling to, the team took the news and ran with it. In August, they are even doing a Pope Hat night where everyone in attendance receives a White Sox-themed mitre.
Fresh off
a 121-loss season, the South Siders were determined to only climb up from rock-bottom. There was a new manager and front office changes after a slew of firings — and now, a direct line with God. They still finished in last place, losing 102 games, but progress toward rebuilding was made, as several rookies debuted and gave fans something to be excited about.
Colson Montgomery, who was previously sent to Arizona to fix his issues at the plate, came up to the big leagues on July 4, 2025. He recorded his first MLB hit the next day, an RBI triple, and finished the game 3-for-5. On July 22, Montgomery hit his first career home run, and a month later he hit his first career grand slam. Montgomery finished his rookie year having appeared in 71 games and hitting .239 with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. Finally, we could see signs of life in the dugout!
While the Pope still looms large, driving the narrative again in 2026, His Holiness can’t be the only guy getting credit (although he just got a signed Paul Konerko jersey!).
There seem to be other forms of magical thinking helping the White Sox on their surprisingly good start.
Enter Munetaka Murakami. Mune has been a force behind the plate, hitting .246 with 17 home runs (second in the league behind Kyle Schwarber) and 36 RBIs at the time of me writing this. He had the key hit in Friday’s win in San Francisco, a beautiful three-run double down the right-field line, as the White Sox put up nine runs in the fourth inning against the Giants. Yes, NINE RUNS IN ONE INNING. No other team prioritized Murakami on their radar, fearing the Japanese slugger would struggle at the plate. While the fear could’ve been credible, 29 teams passed on Mune before Chris Getz stepped in.
But two other hitters have been great this season alongside Murakami. Miguel Vargas has really come out of his shell and proven to be quite the slugger. Not far behind his Japanese teammate, Vargas is sitting at .237 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 41 hits.
Montgomery has been carving out quite the sophomore season as well, with an average of .222, 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 40 hits.
The team as a whole seems to be having a blast. Sure, wins help, but so does a little silliness and establishing new traditions. Word broke that Murakami took Montgomery and his teammates out to a sushi dinner, resulting in a new sushi celebration.
In late April, before his demotion, Jordan Leasure went on Amazon and purchased a $20 Harry Potter wand for Mike Vasil. What happened next has been non-stop entertainment. Despite his TJS setback from Spring Training, Vasil is such an important member of the White Sox clubhouse that he’s remained with the team for both home and road games, casting spells and waving his magic wand to help not only with morale, but perhaps wins as well.
So what’s the sorcery behind the wand? Does the magic stem from the power of friendship? Is Vasil secretly a warlock? As a Stevie Nicks wannabe/witchy woman/recovering Catholic, this question keeps me up at night. Quite literally, as it’s nearly midnight on Friday and I had to get my thoughts out on this.
Whatever it is, Mune is buying into it, and no one can prove that it wasn’t the reason behind his home run on against the Cubs on May 16.
As previously mentioned, I can be a little witchy. Not the wicked witch you see in the movies (though I used to watch the 1996 classic The Craft to help me sleep), but someone who believes in good vibes and manifesting. Manifestation, for those unsure, is the practice of using thoughts, beliefs, and emotions to turn intangible goals and desires into physical reality. At the beginning of the season, I felt the shift with this team. I was very high on the rebuild, claimed Davis Martin as my star pitcher, and predicted they would win more than 70 games this season. Yes, you read that right: 70+ games. All things I wrote down in a manifestation ritual back in January. It felt right.
As we reach the end of May, the White Sox are playing better than .500 and sitting in second place in the American League Central. Martin is 7-1 with an ERA of just 2.04 and is being recognized as one of the top pitchers in baseball. Baseball writers who would otherwise turn a blind eye to the team that just lost a record-breaking 121 games two seasons ago are starting to see what the White Sox are quietly building. Suddenly, taking two of three games in the Crosstown series is nothing. Who cares about those North Siders, or that center fielder? Can he catch the ball like Tristan Peters?
Not to mention the tape on the helmets — first from Sam Antonacci and also now Andrew Benintendi — that has helped with hitting the ball and getting on base.
There are plenty of factors at play for the 2026 White Sox. Taking a chance on a player, creating a fun environment, new traditions, a magic wand, some pseudoscience, and the holiest man in the world on your side. All of these can certainly create the perfect storm and allow people to believe again, even if it’s because of some higher power.
But I’m here to tell you, it’s time to believe in the players, too. They are putting in the work day-to-day, and making baseball fun on the South Side again.
