BTS’ V to revisit athletic side with ceremonial pitch at Dodger Stadium
BTS' V / Xportsnews
BTS member V will take the mound for his debut ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball (MLB) game in Los Angeles next week.
On Aug. 18, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced on their official social media, “ARMY, you ready?” while confirming that V will throw the first pitch on Aug. 25 (local time) at Dodger Stadium.
The announcement caused such a surge of fan interest that MLB’s official website temporarily went down.
The Dodgers also revealed earlier that Son Heung-min, who recently joined Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC, will throw the first pitch on Aug. 27. With just a two-day gap, both a K-pop superstar and a Korean sports star are set to appear on the Dodger Stadium mound, drawing global attention.
BTS' V / Captured from LA Dodgers social media
This marks V’s first participation in a ceremonial pitch, raising curiosity about any hidden baseball skills. Ahead of the event, clips of V playing baseball have resurfaced online. He demonstrated smooth batting skills during JTBC’s “BTS In the Soop.”
Beyond baseball, V is known as a fitness enthusiast. He has explored a wide range of sports including golf and horseback riding, and since completing his military service in June, he has shared updates on his personal social media showing his dedication to weight training.
Bodybuilder and YouTuber Ma Sun-ho also mentioned V’s athletic passion during a recent appearance on JTBC’s “Knowing Bros.” “I became close to him through our muscles,” he said. “I once visited V with Kim Jong-kook during his service. After posting a photo with him, my followers increased by 50,000, and I still receive messages from ARMY.”
A scene from "BTS In the SOOP" / Captured from JTBC
Despite BTS’ global influence, ceremonial pitch appearances by its members have been rare. Jungkook threw one at Japan’s Koshien Stadium early in his career, while J-Hope did so in his hometown of Gwangju last year. V’s upcoming appearance has fueled speculation about whether more BTS members will follow suit.
Attention is also growing over whether V will meet Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-sung during the event.
This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.