By Mary Farrow
Chicago, Ill., Jun 26, 2019 / 16:01 pm
Maybe it's the signature bump of the baseball off her bicep before pitching the perfect curve ball. Maybe it's that she does it all in a full black and white habit with a beaming smile on her face.
Whatever it is, the pitch of baseball whiz Sister Mary Jo Sobieck, OP, that captured the hearts of many over the past year inspired a baseball card, a bobble head, and now a nomination for a national sports award.
"Sister Strike," as the Dominican sister has been called, has been nominated for an ESPY award in the category "Best Viral Sports Moment." The ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) are an annual sports awards ceremony honoring memorable people and moments in sports. This year's ceremony will be hosted by Tracy Morgan in Los Angeles July 10.
The moment for which Sister is nominated? It's called "Don't Sleep on Sister Mary Jo's curveball", and it's the moment when she threw a curveball strike to Lucas Giolito at the ceremonial opening of a Chicago White Sox game in August 2018.
The fans went wild and the moment went viral, catching the attention of baseball fans and casual observers on social media and national media. Her strike also aired on ESPN's Sportscenter highlight reel.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum now sells a Sister Mary Joe bobblehead for $25. She stands in a pitching stance, wearing a baseball jersey pulled over her habit, and a baseball mitt. Her right hand is cocked back with a baseball, ready to strike.
In April, Topps announced that they would be premiering a Sister Mary Jo baseball card this summer.
Patrick O'Sullivan, Topps Associate Brand Manager, told CNA in April that Sister is a good reminder that: "Baseball is for everyone from every walk of life. That's what makes it so special and fun to be a fan."
There's a reason Sr. Mary Jo, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and a teacher at Marian Catholic High School, seems so comfortable on the pitching mound. She played softball starting in elementary school and through college and has coached high school sports.
She told the Chicago Catholic in December that she wasn't about to "get ripped" by past coaches and teammates for a lousy pitch, so she gave the White Sox throw her all. But then again, that's how she lives her whole life.
"Before (the pitch), she was just kind of like that loud nun," Jen Pasyk, a fellow Marian Catholic teacher, told the Chicago Catholic. "She's kind of gregarious and outgoing. There's this image that sisters are kind of quiet and reserved, and that was never her. She is very popular, because she makes it a point to meet the students wherever they are. She really goes out for those shy kids who just want to blend into the bricks. She will learn something about them, so someone knows something about them."
Since the viral moment, Sr. Mary Jo has been invited to various sporting events and speaking engagements. She wants to use the attention to lead others to God, she told the Chicago Catholic.
"The best gift I can give now is to give a good example of what it means to be virtuous," Sister Mary Jo said. "It's transitioned to what happens on the field of life. I try my best and sometimes I fail miserably and I get back up and try again. You get up the next day and try again."
