Texas Rangers’ third baseman Jake Burger credits the success of the Major League Baseball team to Pope Leo XIV.
According to the World Baseball Network, “after hitting a two-run double in an 8-3 win over Colorado last week, Jake Burger gave a papal wave and made the Sign of the Cross in the direction of the Rangers’ dugout.”
Burger is a Midwesterner from Missouri, so when he discovered the new Pope is from Chicago, he “was proud.”
“I kind of thought: New Pope, new me,” Burger told the Dallas Morning News. “He’s a Midwestern guy like me. I was proud. And since he’s been elected Pope, we’ve been rather hot.”
Burger, who is a Catholic, says his “new double sign will be the Sign of the Cross.” Videos show Burger making a blessing sign on the baseball field.
The Dallas Morning News also asked, “Are you claiming a little extra help?”
“I think it would be a disservice to him, not to give [Pope Leo XIV] some credit,” Burger, who previously played for the Chicago White Sox, said.
“He’s a White Sox fan. I’d like to think he didn’t like the trade, and maybe he put in a little blessing for me. So, I told the guys, if I get to second, my new double sign is going to be the wave.”
Here is a video of Burger's blessing below:
As of this writing, the MLB video entitled “He has a celebration dedicated to Pope Leo XIV” has generated almost half a million views, over 30,000 likes, and nearly 200 comments.
Here's how some users reacted:
“We are loving this positive influence the new pope is having on our culture,” one user commented.
“I’m not Christian, but this is pretty cool!” another user wrote.
“Another reason to love Jake,” someone else said.