In this Morning Air episode, John Morales sits down with five-time MLB All-Star Mike Sweeney to talk faith, family, and the 2025 World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. From his take on the game to his deep love for Christ and Our Lady, Mike Sweeney reminds you that humility and faith are what truly make a champion.
Sweeney – Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer and longtime Catholic leader – shares his insights on this year’s Fall Classic, complementing Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and players like Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw for their class, humility, and visible faith. Despite joking that he “grew up hating the Dodgers,” he admits their combination of power hitting and strong pitching makes them “the best team on the planet.”
But the conversation soon turns to something deeper: Mike Sweeney’s encounter with the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. During a recent trip to Rome, Sweeney presented the Pope – himself a lifelong White Sox fan – with a custom Trinity baseball bat featuring the papal motto “In illo uno unum” (“In He who is One, we are one”) and the flags of the Vatican, the U.S., and Peru. When Pope Leo held up the bat in St. Peter’s Square, the crowd erupted. “That was the moment,” a priest told Sweeney, “when the world saw him as the first American Pope.”
Mike Sweeney reflects on the awe of approaching the Chair of St. Peter, saying he was more nervous than facing a 104-mph fastball:
“When you walk up to the man in the chair of St. Peter, it’s humbling. You realize you’re standing before the vicar of Christ.”
As the discussion shifts toward prayer, Sweeney passionately describes how the Rosary anchors his family’s faith:
“Praying the Rosary is worshiping Jesus while holding hands with His mother. It’s the glue that holds our family together.”
He describes walking the Holy Mountain of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Health in Lake Como, praying through all the mysteries, and how that pilgrimage led to his meeting with Pope Leo. Inspired by the Holy Father, Mike Sweeney committed to praying the Rosary daily for the rest of his life.
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