Chicago native Mr. T threw out the ceremonial first pitch and sang the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field on Friday as the Chicago Cubs beat the rival St. Louis Cardinals 3-0. The 74-year-old icon covered his famed Mandinka warrior haircut and wore a single gold chain around his neck during the matinee game. Dressed in a personalized "Mr. T" Cubs replica uniform, the left-handed former A-Team star threw his pitch well outside the strike zone but still received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Later in the game, Mr. T sang to the Cubs faithful from Harry Caray's former office. "… for it's one, two, three strikes you out at the old ballgame!" Mr. T sang during Chicago's win. "Let's go Cubs!... I pity the fool!" Fans in attendance and online enjoyed how the 1980s Hollywood icon, WWE superstar, and former bodyguard for Muhammad Ali incorporated his famous line from Rocky III into the performance.
"Love how he managed to get in a 'I pity the fool' but I really wanted Mr T to drop a 'sucka' in there as well," one fan wrote on X. Other viewers focused on his appearance during the broadcast. "He looked weirdly young for the longest time," another fan remarked online. "But he's still got that spirit and attitude! Hell yeah." Many fans expressed surprise to see Mr. T "finally looking his age."
Online reaction to appearance and height
Viewers also commented on his height after seeing him stand next to 6ft 5in Cubs public address announcer Jeremiah Paprocki. "When did Mr. T get that small?" one fan asked, though online records put Mr. T at 5ft 10in. Paprocki drew additional comments online after introducing Mr. T initially as a wrestler before adding his acting credits.
"Why is former professional wrestler listed first like that's what he is most known for?" a fan asked on X. "He had like 2 matches in WWF?" Mr. T performed several times in the 1980s and early 1990s with what was then known as the WWF, but he never worked extensively in the ring. Instead, he is far more known for his role as Clubber Lang in Rocky III, B. A. Baracus in the A-Team, and his own cartoon series.
Early life and bodyguard career
Born Laurence Tureaud, Mr. T was the youngest son in a family of a dozen children. He shortened his name after his father left the family and later added "Mr." as an adult to command respect in a world that often denied it to young Black men. Although he received a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University, where he majored in mathematics, he left school to join the U.S. Army and served with the military police.
That experience helped him become a Chicago bouncer and later a bodyguard for celebrities like Steve McQueen and Michael Jackson, as well as boxers such as Joe Frazier, Leon Spinks, and Muhammad Ali. "A lot of the stuff I do in terms of PR, I learned it from Muhammad Ali," Mr. T told TMZ. "He told me you gotta be different but good."
Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone later discovered Mr. T in a "World's Toughest Bouncer" competition. Stallone went on to expand the antagonist Clubber Lang character in Rocky III with the former bodyguard in mind.
