Eddie Schantz, a Long Island Mets fan, shown on TV celebrating Pope Leo XIV unveiling in Vatican City
Eddie Schantz takes a selfie while in Rome for the naming of the new pope on Thursday. Credit: Eddie Schantz
Lifelong diehard Mets fan Eddie Schantz could hardly predict that a last-minute trip to Rome would end with him becoming a viral sensation.
But the 36-year-old accounting professional and Long Island native, originally from Syosset and now a Commack resident, took the Mets fan base by storm Thursday in Vatican City.
CNN caught Schantz wearing a Mets hat as the new pope — Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, the first American pope who is now known as Pope Leo XIV — was about to appear on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Mets fans quickly caught hold of the moment and screenshots spread rapidly on X. The official team account posted, “There was a Mets hat WHERE???” Schantz made the screenshot his X profile picture and even got an “#LGM” in response from the team.
To say this was unexpected would be an understatement.
“Never expected in a million years to blow up like this,” Schantz told Newsday Thursday evening. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s an exciting situation, regardless. And then to have this on top of it? It’s just like, man, this was just so worth it, coming to this.
“I didn’t need this to happen to be worth it. But to me, it’s just like the cherry on top.”
Schantz said he had been eyeing a trip to Rome for “quite a while” for a few reasons.
This year is a Jubilee Holy Year, which happens only once every 25 years. Schantz is also a big tennis fan, and the Italian Open is happening in Rome from May 5-18. And his favorite soccer team, Italian powerhouse Juventus, is playing in Rome on Saturday against Lazio.
“Those three things kind of had me interested all along,” Schantz said. “And then once [Pope Francis] passed away, unfortunately, I was like, wow, if the conclave actually coincides with all this, this might be, like, really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here, and all the stars are kind of aligning.”
He officially planned the trip last week and took a red-eye flight Tuesday night.
Schantz’s late father, Ed, was a Mets fan since the franchise’s inception in 1962. Mets fandom has become a way of life for the Schantz family, which has a brick with its name on it outside Citi Field.
Schantz, who was raised Catholic, did not wear his Mets hat when he went to St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday but felt compelled to on Thursday.
Surrounded by thousands of people, Schantz had no cell service at the time he appeared on TV. Only one sporadic message of the screenshot from a friend came through, much to Schantz’s confusion. By the time he left St. Peter’s Square and regained service, his phone was being flooded with messages.
“It’s really crazy,” Schantz said. “People are like, ‘Wait, I didn’t realize you were there,’ because it was so last minute. Like, I didn’t have time to even tell people I was going.”
Schantz usually keeps his social media private, but he made his X account public to let people know that the screenshot was actually him.
The 2024 Mets had plenty of lucky charms en route to an NLCS appearance, whether it be Jose Iglesias’ “OMG” hit single or Grimace, the McDonald’s mascot who threw out a first pitch.
Could Schantz’s moment be that for the 2025 Mets?
“Definitely,” said Emily Schantz, Eddie’s younger sister. “Not only is it a good omen, but I don’t think people were necessarily expecting an American pope to be picked. So the fact that an American pope was picked while Eddie is there with his Mets hat on, it’s got to be — not to get too religious — but a sign from God that we’re going to have a great season.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
