The declaration came with all the grandeur you would expect: white smoke rising above the Sistine Chapel, cheers from the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, and bells echoing across Vatican City. However, what came after that was not just divine—it was distinctly Chicago.

The new spiritual leader of 1.3 B Catholics did not just make history by being the first North American pope. The Pope apparently brought a bit of Wrigleyville to Rome with him.

Time to break it down—who is he? Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, the new pontiff grew up rooting for the city’s underdog baseball team. In addition, what team could that be? None other than the Cubs, a team valued at $4.6 B. They are more than a team—they are a legacy, established on heartbreak, miracles and some fans so loyal it borders on spiritual. It is fitting, then, that this new papal figure could have been molded by holy scripture and late-summer box scores.

Just hours after the official selection, CHGO Cubs posted, “Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, is reportedly a Cubs fan. What a great day for the city of Chicago. I was born in Chicago. It is thrilling. And a couple of things. Hope Leeuil, the 14th, was born on the South Side of Chicago. If Lindsay’s reporting is true, and I trust it is, he is a Cubs fan on the South Side. That tells you one thing—he’s tough, because it is not easy to be a Cubs fan on the South Side of Chicago”.

That last sentence hits hard. Because if you are from the city, you know what it is to wear a Cubs uniform in White Sox territory—it is not for the faint of heart.

As the papal smoke rises, so does the Cubs future with Cade Horton’s MLB debut

While one Chicago-born individual ascended to international spiritual leadership, another is on the edge of making his personal kind of debut. This time, from a pitcher’s mound instead of a balcony in Vatican City. The headline also makes Craig Counsell’s fans happy as the top pitching prospect, Cade Horton, is getting the call-up. Specifically, after Shota Imanaga limped back to the dugout, the addition of Horton has become more vital. Brett Taylor of the Bleacher Nation said that Horton features big-league stuff and “has checked all the traditional boxes“.

Cade Horton has that familiar rise-from-the-farm feel that Cubs fans love—grit, growth and jaw-dropping data. With an effective 1.24 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine in Triple-A Iowa, the young right-hander has highlighted that he has more than just power—he has production. Ready to take the mound this Saturday against the Mets, the star will be filling the gap left open between Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd. It is no small stage, however, if there is a time for stars to rise, this could just be it.

Then comes the poetic part—as Pope Leo XIV brings spiritual hope to millions, Horton highlights a kind of hope the team knows all too well: the belief in the next great arm, the next great run, the next October miracle. The star was drafted in 2022. He was fast-tracked through the ranks and now he is stepping into the national attention himself. Coincidence? Could be.