Former Brewers Fan Tyrese Haliburton Throwing First Pitch in Thursday’s Series Finale
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton grew up a Brewers fan in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about an hour and a half from American Family Field, but that all changed in 2025 after he and his team knocked the Milwaukee Bucks out of the playoffs for the second straight year. The Iowa State product, who also pulls for the 49ers since former classmate Brock Purdy is their QB, was uninvited from throwing out the first pitch at a Brewers game during the summer of ’25.
“I’m not really welcome in Wisconsin much these days,” he told The Pat McAfee Show in April of last year.
That’s why Haliburton, who missed last season due to a torn right Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the ’25 NBA Finals, was seen wearing a Cubs jersey on the sidelines during the NLDS. He didn’t necessarily flip his allegiance to Chicago, though, as he was seen wearing a Dodgers jersey during the NLCS. I have to say, his level of pettiness is aspirational.
As Fieldhouse Files founder Scott Agness explained, the public trolling stemmed from Haliburton’s WWE fandom and resultant flair for the dramatic. While it’s not quite the same as burying game-winning shots on a near-nightly basis during the Pacers’ improbable run to the Finals, where they were narrowly edged out by what looked like a far superior team on paper, Haliburton knows how to stir things up.
That’s why he’ll be throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on Thursday night during a nationwide FOX broadcast rather than doing so in front of the 18 Dodgers fans who made it through the Chavez Ravine parking lots before the 3rd inning. Agness, who I’ve known for over a decade through local sports media connections, caught up with the Pacers star to talk about his crossover.
“I got asked by both, I had to pick one,” Haliburton told Fieldhouse Files. “And the Cubs just made more sense.”
Maybe that’s because, after missing all of last season rehabbing his Achilles, the hooper sees an opportunity with a Cubs team dealing with myriad injury issues of its own. His main goal is more likely to avoid embarrassing himself out there, but he can’t possibly do worse than Hall of Famer Greg Maddux over the weekend.
“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.”
If word of this snub gets out to Dodgers fans, the dynamic guard might find himself at odds with them too. Maybe he and Pete Crow-Armstrong can bond over their experiences as ex-pats and subjects of LA ire. Something tells me it’ll only fuel their respective fires, so I am really hoping it happens. In the meantime, it’d be nice if the Cubs could stop their series losing streak.
Ed. note: Bulls rookie and would-be franchise savior Caleb Wilson is also at Wrigley for his first visit this season, which reminded me that Haliburton could have been a Bull. Probably should have been, had they been employing a competent head of basketball operations at the time. Team scouts wanted them to draft Haliburton at No. 4 in 2020, but Arturas Karnisovas opted for Patrick Williams because he didn’t think Haliburton would even be a top-four talent on a Bulls team that went 31-41.
Haliburton ended up going at No. 12 to the Kings, who traded him to the Pacers in 2022 for a deal headlined by Domantas Sabonis. Williams made the All-Rookie team by averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for Chicago, and he’s at 9.0 points and 3.9 boards over his six-year career. Haliburton also made the All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting by posting 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds for Sacramento. Over five seasons, he’s averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. He’s also a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.
