V from BTS became a dedicated fan boy once again on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, where he was lucky enough to share a hug with Shohei Ohtani and give a deep bow to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the field.
The K-pop heartthrob posed for photos in the dugout with three-time MVP Ohtani, who returned to the mound this season, in addition to continuing the Dodgers’ pick-and-roll scrimmage, and more on-field pictures with ace Yamamoto, who helped the team beat the Padres in San Diego on Sunday. The dude even spent a few minutes chatting with the legendary Clayton Kershaw.
It seems like V – real name Kim Taehyung – might be a fan of the pitch in general?
That’s a good thing if it’s true, because the K-POP star was at Chavez Ravine to deliver the ceremonial first pitch before the Dodgers shut out the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. BTS fans were definitely there in the crowd to cheer him on.
The seven members of BTS—Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, Jung Kook, and V—resurfaced on social media in July after a long hiatus to announce that a new album would be released in the spring of 2026, now that they have all completed their mandatory 18-month South Korean military service.
Announcer Todd Leith touted the band’s “highly anticipated” reunion over the stadium’s PA system on Monday. “Now wait no longer, V. Hill is yours!” he said.
Taking the mound, V delivered a strike to Yamamoto, who was brought down as the honorary catcher. The pop star earned Leitz a “Wow, what a pitch” and screams from fans in the stands.
“He’s been on the pitch for 30 minutes. We finally hit a crescendo with the first pitch tonight from V from BTS,” a voice can be heard saying in a video chronicling the moment in the area.
“Yeah, and he threw a strike, man,” another voice adds. “He’s good. He’s been practicing here every 13 seconds. We got the crowd nuts, we don’t know why. He’s out there playing catch, throwing halfway down the left field line. And you put the guy on the mound, turns into a pretty good strikeout pitcher.”
After pitch V also had to speak the five legendary words that open every home game for the boys in blue: “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
“Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely on new music,” the band said in a statement on July 1. “Since this will be a group album, it will reflect the thoughts and ideas of each member. We are approaching the album with the same mindset that we had when we first started.”
BTS last released the album “Proof” in June 2022 and performed live together in their homeland that year. Since then, each member has released solo material, including Jung Kook’s “Seven,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, and RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard albums chart last year.
Times pop music critic Mikael Wood contributed to this report.
