A.J. Pierzynski on White Sox October Hopes and the Pope

A.J. Pierzynski has lived enough October baseball to know how quickly expectations can change. Three months after visiting Pope Leo XIV and handing over the final out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, the former White Sox catcher is watching a familiar storyline build in Chicago: meaningful baseball is back on the South Side.

For White Sox fans, the club’s return to the postseason for the first time in five years is reason enough to celebrate. For Pierzynski, though, simply getting in is not the finish line. His view is shaped by experience. A team can spend months chasing a playoff spot, but once it arrives, the standard shifts immediately from survival to opportunity.

That same perspective informed the advice he would give Padres catcher Ethan Salas, who is poised to become the youngest catcher ever to appear in a postseason game. Pierzynski’s message was simple: enjoy it. Players are often too locked into preparation, scouting reports, and in-game pressure to appreciate the scale of the moment. Looking back on his own career, including a championship run in 2005, he believes young players should make room to absorb just how rare October chances really are.

Chicago, he said, becomes a different city when baseball matters on both sides of town. Pierzynski has played in several high-profile rivalries, but he still places Cubs-White Sox at the top for pure energy. When both clubs are competitive, the atmosphere becomes louder, sharper, and more emotional, especially in games at Wrigley Field and on the South Side. That edge, he suggested, is difficult to replicate anywhere else in the sport.

There is also a lasting bond that comes with winning a World Series, and Pierzynski made clear that the 2005 White Sox still share it. Players may not stay in constant contact forever, but a championship creates a connection that survives time. In retirement, he noted, the first question people ask is usually not about awards or stats. It is whether you won a ring.

What the White Sox need now

If Chicago is going to do more than just participate in October, Pierzynski believes the answer starts with pitching. He pointed to a modern postseason truth that never really changes: teams with the best starting pitching usually last the longest. The White Sox will need more length from their starters, not only to control games but to protect a bullpen that cannot be endlessly refreshed the way it can during the regular season.

Offensively, he sees upside if key bats get hot at the right time. That is why he rejects the idea that the White Sox are merely playing with house money. Yes, reaching the postseason marks progress. But no club gets into October thinking the job is done. Once a team qualifies, the objective becomes the same for everyone.

The bigger October picture

Asked about the rest of the field, Pierzynski still views the Dodgers as the team to beat until someone proves otherwise. At the same time, he singled out the Brewers as a club more people should be taking seriously. Their style, built on sharp defense, aggressive baserunning, situational execution, and flexible bullpen management, makes them unusually difficult to prepare for in a short series.

And then there was the pope story, which may be the most memorable detail of all. Pierzynski said the wildest part was not that Pope Leo XIV is following the White Sox, but that the pontiff already knew exactly who he was. For a former catcher with a World Series ring, that may be one flex even baseball cannot top.