“This guy is so big, he’s known by one letter,” says the commentator as BTS V threw his first pitch for the LA Dodgers. V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, took the mound at Dodger Stadium to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Cincinnati Reds.
This is the third time a BTS member has been honored in this way, and the first time for an MLB game. Jungkook first threw a ceremonial pitch in 2017, while j-hope followed suit in 2024 upon completing his military service.
Wearing a Dodgers No. 7 jersey tucked into faded jeans, V stepped onto the field in front of a large, excited crowd. After delivering the pitch, he bowed toward Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who caught it cleanly.
Before the game, the 29-year-old K-pop star met baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and exchanged a brief hug in the dugout. The pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, offered him pitching tips as photographers captured the moment.
The announcement of V’s appearance on August 17 triggered a surge of traffic on the MLB website, causing it to crash under the high demand from fans trying to secure tickets.
In the U.S., the game was shown locally on Spectrum SportsNet LA, the Dodgers’ exclusive regional broadcaster. For national coverage, the broadcast was carried by MLB Network. Korean football star Son Heung Min is scheduled to throw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium on August 27, just two days after V’s appearance.
In 2019, Suga attended a game at Dodger Stadium to see pitcher Ryu Hyun Jin achieve a complete-game shutout.
The ceremonial first pitch comes amid BTS’s return to public events following their military service hiatus. The group is expected to release a full album and embark on a world tour in 2026, and V’s appearance at the Dodgers game forms part of their gradual return to international attention.
Notably, BTS’s songs such as “Mic Drop,” “Fire,” and “A Brand New Day” were played over the stadium’s sound system during the event
On the work front, V, along with his groupmates, is working ‘like a factory’ on the group’s new album, releasing early next year. After the album preparations are done, members will continue with solo releases and projects till spring 2026.