Tyrese Haliburton took the mound at Wrigley Field on Thursday night and, with one smooth first pitch, added another chapter to a summer that has already been anything but quiet.
Before the Chicago Cubs wrapped up their four-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers, the two-time All-Star guard and Wisconsin native was introduced by Cubs public address announcer Jeremiah Paprocki as a Cubs fan. That alone carried some irony, because Haliburton grew up rooting for the Brewers.
The pitch itself came off successfully, and the moment fit Haliburton’s recent habit of leaning into the joke. He has long been tied to Milwaukee as a hometown supporter, but that changed two years ago.
"I'm not really welcome in Wisconsin as much these days," Haliburton said.
That line traced back to the Pacers eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks from the playoffs in 2025 for the second straight year. Haliburton revisited the topic in April 2025 on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he explained how his Brewers loyalty disappeared after a first-pitch opportunity was scrapped following the playoffs.
"I was a Brewers fan and then I was supposed to throw the first pitch last summer and then they X'd that after the playoffs ended," Haliburton said on "The Pat McAfee Show" in April 2025. "So I said [that], you know what, I'm no longer a Brewers fan."
"You knocked off your entire home state," McAfee said to Haliburton during the appearance.
Haliburton later doubled down on the bit.
"Baseball, I’m a free agent," Haliburton said. "I was a Brewers fan and then I was supposed to throw the first pitch last summer and then they X’d that after the playoffs ended. So, I said, you know what, I’m no longer a Brewers fan."
There was also a little behind-the-scenes explanation for why Wrigley got the nod over another option. Fieldhouse Files’ Scott Agness spoke with Haliburton at the ballpark and asked why he chose the Cubs’ ceremony instead of a similar appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Fox Sports.
“I got asked by both, I had to pick one,” Haliburton told Fieldhouse Files. “And the Cubs just made more sense.”
Haliburton said he came ready for the moment, too.
“Whatever they need me to do, I’ll be prepared,” he said. “I’ve been working on my pitch. My form is not the greatest, but we’ve been working on it.”
The first pitch was just the latest stop in an offseason that has kept Haliburton in the spotlight. He got married, hosted the Pacers Foundation Charity Softball Classic, made a WWE appearance, and commented on Harrison Barnes’ latest purchase of a Bank in his home state of Iowa.
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