Francisco Lindor led off with the first of New York’s four solo homers and the Mets rolled to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil went deep in the second while Juan Soto homered in the fourth to help the Mets improve to 14-3 at Citi Field.

Sox fans jumped on the news, posting tweets that the Cubs’ claim was premature. If it’s true he’s a Sox fan, Pope Leo XIV would be the team’s second representative of the Vatican after former Sox pitcher “The Pope” Donn Pall.

John Prevost, Pope Leo's older brother, confirmed his MLB allegiance in multiple interviews, putting to rest the debate between the North and South Side.

The Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, supports one baseball team in the Windy City.

The Chicago Cubs (22-16) and the New York Mets (24-14) open a 3-game set Friday. First pitch from Citi Field in Queens is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Cubs vs. Mets odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Doc’s Sports offers MLB expert picks for every game on our baseball predictions page.

The series finale between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets on Sunday morning won't be broadcast on Marquee Sports Network because of an MLB carriage deal.