From an outfielder who minored in theology to a pitcher whose mom is a Catholic school teacher, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays both have players — and storylines — that Catholics can get behind.
Pope Leo XIV’s beloved Chicago White Sox didn’t make it to the World Series, but don’t worry Catholic baseball fans, there are still plenty of faith-filled players and storylines to follow in this year’s Fall Classic, which begins on Friday.
For starters, both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers could be counted among “the least of these” in Major League Baseball, at least when it comes to payroll. The Brewers rank 19th out of 30 in total salary, while the Rays are 28th. In fact, the two teams combined spend less money ($242 million) than what big-market clubs like the New York Yankees ($308 million) and Chicago Cubs ($249 million) spend all on their own.
Nonetheless, both the Brewers and the Rays finished the regular season with the best records in their respective leagues, including an MLB-leading 103 wins by Milwaukee.
“These guys are playing at the highest level, and they’re not worried about what’s in their bank accounts,” Father Thomas Anastasia,
