Putting a papacy in perspective: Pope Francis facts, baseball style

WASHINGTON — As the Orioles play the neighboring Nationals this week, hundreds of thousands are expected to flock to Washington, D.C., for Pope Francis' first visit to U.S. soil as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The pontiff is scheduled to arrive in the nation's capital from Cuba on Tuesday afternoon and he will be in Washington until Thursday afternoon, when he will depart for New York City.

Over that span, expect lots of traffic and packed public transit. To those Orioles fans heading to D.C. -- and there are usually many -- plan accordingly.

If Francis wanted to extend his trip, he could catch the Orioles' rescheduled game against the Washington Nationals on Thursday at 4:05 p.m. However, he might have more pressing matters, but I'm sure he could get tickets -- without buying one from a scalper.

Since Pope Francis' papacy began in March 2013, there have been 7,097 major league games played heading into Monday, according to baseball historian Bill Arnold of Sports Features Group.

During Francis' papacy, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is the majors' home run leader with 122. Former Oriole and current Seattle Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz is second with 109.

Davis and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers are tied for the most RBIs with 319. Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Nationals' Max Scherzer are tied for the most wins, at 51.

The Orioles are 254-219 during Francis' time as pope, owning a .537 winning percentage.

Which team has the most major league wins?

Well, the St. Louis Cardinals, of course, according to Arnold. St. Louis has won 280 games since March 2013.

eencina@baltsun.com
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