Well this didn't take long: A day after a White Sox fan was elected pope, a man dressed as His Holiness sat behind home plate at the Winston-Salem Dash's game against Bowling Green on Friday night.
It also didn't last long, because after taking his seat in the top of the second inning, security came to escort him out of the section in the top of the fourth.
If one is to take this development seriously, then it might've been because he ran afoul of the guidelines listed under "fan behavior" in the Dash's fan guide:
While at Truist Stadium, we want everyone to have a great time! Fans using loud, obscene or abusive language, or engaging in any other conduct detrimental to the social environment of enjoying a public event will be asked to cease their conduct and may be subject to ejection from the stadium if the conduct is deemed overly offensive.
Examples of this type of conduct include intoxication, unruly behavior, use of foul language, inappropriate dress (shirts and shoes are required, and offensive or suggestive attire is not permitted), violation of local, state or federal law, behavior deemed objectionable by the Winston-Salem Dash, or any behavior that infringes upon other fans' ability to enjoy the game.
But it's minor league baseball, and the Dash social team highlighted the incident ...
... and although there wasn't an apparent punch line to the removal, the Dash also ran a sale discounting their El Humo ("The Smoke") gear (promo code LEO for 14 percent off). So the jury's out on who's in on the joke, but in the meantime, here's an opportunity to picture Pope Leo XIV checking the box scores in the Vatican, wondering if McDougal is ever going to turn the corner, or when the White Sox will finally admit his future is in relief.
Memphis 13, Charlotte 10
- Gage Workman DH'd, with a single, walk and three strikeouts.
- Korey Lee went 1-for-2 with a walk.
- Kyle Teel replaced him, doubling and striking out.
- Bryan Ramos went 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
Columbia 4, Birmingham 2
- Rikuu Nishida went 3-for-5.
- Wilfred Veras was 0-for-2 with two walks, a strikeout and a CS.
- DJ Gladney went 1-fof-3 with a double, walk and strikeout.
- Jacob Gonzalez, 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Grant Taylor: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 23 of 38 pitches for strikes.
Bowling Green 5, Winston-Salem 4
- Sam Antonacci went 3-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Jeral Perez, 0-for-4.
- Braden Montgomery was 2-for-3 with a sac fly.
- Tanner McDougal: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 59 of 84 pitches for strikes.
Carolina 5, Kannapolis 4 (completion of Thursday's game)
- Caleb Bonemer went 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Javier Mogollón went 2-for-4 with a triple, but was replaced by Ryan Burrowes after grounding out. He might've stepped on the bag funny?
- Ronny Hernandez singled thrice and struck out once.
- George Wolkow singled, walked and struck out twice.
Kannapolis 5, Carolina 4 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Abraham Nuñez went 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Caleb Bonemer, 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.
- Lyle Miller-Green, 1-for-4 with a homer and a strikeout.
- George Wolkow was 1-for-2 with a double before Kannapolis lost the DH.
- Ryan Burrowes singled, walked struck out and stole a base.
- Infielder Mikey Kane picked up the win with 1⅓ scoreless innings after starting the game at third base.
ACL White Sox 5, ACL Cubs 2
- Colson Montgomery singled and struck out twice.
- Angel Bello: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
- Kevin Davis: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
