After hitting a two-run double in an 8-3 win over Colorado last week, Jake Burger gave a papal wave and made the sign of the cross in the direction of the Rangers’ dugout.
“Basically, I kind of thought: New Pope, new me,” Burger told the Dallas Morning News, referring to American Robert Prevost being named Pope. “He’s a Midwestern guy like me. I was proud. And since he’s been elected Pope, we’ve been rather hot.”
Since then, Burger has hit in six consecutive games, hitting .333 over the last week.
“I think it would be a disservice to him, not to give him some credit,” Burger, who debuted with the White Sox in 2021, also told the Dallas Morning News. “He’s a White Sox fan. I’d like to think he didn’t like the trade, and maybe he put in a little blessing for me. So, I told the guys, if I get to second, my new double sign is going to be the wave.”
Burger, who grew up in Missouri, was traded from Miami to Texas in August 2023. He is a career .248 hitter with 76 home runs and 201 RBI. A little Divine Intervention might propel him back to the numbers he had in 2023 with Chicago and Miami, when he hit 34 home runs and recorded 80 RBI.
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