Tim McGraw Shares Sweet Memory of His Late ‘Class Act’ Father Tug

Tim McGraw is thinking of his late father, former professional baseball player Tug McGraw, as the MLB playoffs season picks up.

Tug, who died in 2004 at age 59, spent nearly two decades playing in the MLB between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s. He played for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, a fact that inspired his country music star son to share a memory as the teams began facing off in the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 5.

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The “Something Like That” singer’s post was initially shared by the Tug McGraw Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping people impacted by brain cancer. Tug was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in 2003 and died the following year. The caption for the Saturday post, which Tim shared in full on his own Instagram account, began by quoting Tug’s famous catchphrase, “Ya gotta believe.”

The post itself was comprised of two photos of Tug playing baseball that were stacked on top of each other. In the top image, Tug was mid-throw while wearing his Mets uniform. The bottom photo showed him in a similar stance while wearing his Phillies uniform.

After asking fans to identify which team they were supporting during this year’s playoffs, the post’s caption shared a bit about the late baseball star. “Tug McGraw never revealed who his favorite club was to play for,” the post said. “He always said, “The Pets.” Class Act. ??.”

While tons of fans did as asked and identified their team of choice in the comment section, others left messages telling the “awesome” three-time Grammy Award winner that his father “was a legend ??.”

“You’re just the best, and your dad was a class act ??,” one fan wrote.

"Tug was one of the best!” wrote one person who revealed they watched him pitch “many times.”

“Awesome pics Tim! Ya Gotta Believe!” another fan commented.

Next: Tim McGraw Breaks Silence Following Backlash From His Bold Political Statement