V from BTS got to be the devoted fanboy for once Monday night at Dodger Stadium, where he was lucky enough to share an embrace with Shohei Ohtani and give a deep bow on the field to Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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 as the Dodgers’ designated hitter, and more pics on the field with pitching ace Yamamoto, who helped the team beat the Padres in San Diego on Sunday. Dude even spent a few minutes chatting up the legendary Clayton Kershaw.
Seems V — real name Kim Taehyung — might be a fan of pitching in general?
That’s a good thing, if 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 support him.
The seven members of BTS — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, Jung Kook and V — surfaced on social media in July after a long hiatus to announce that a new album would be coming in spring 2026, now that they all completed their mandatory 18-month South Korean military service.
Announcer Todd Leitz referenced the band’s “highly anticipated” reunion over the stadium PA system Monday. “NO more waiting now, V. The mound is yours!” he said.
Taking the mound, V delivered a strike to Yamamoto, who was crouched down as the honorary catcher. The pop star earned a “wow, what a pitch” from Leitz and screams from the fans in the stands.
“He’s been on the field for 30 minutes. We finally hit the crescendo with the first pitch tonight for V from BTS,” a voice is heard saying in a video chronicling the moment.
“Yeah, and he dotted up a strike, man,” another voice adds. “Good for him. He’s been out here practicing every 13 seconds. We got the crowd going nuts, we don’t know why. He’s over there playing catch, throwing halfway down the left field line. And you put the guy on the mound, turns into a pretty good strike thrower.”
After the pitch, V also got 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 together on new music,” the band said in a statement July 1. “Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.”
BTS last released an album, “Proof,” in June 2022 and performed live together later that year in their home country. Each member has released solo material since then, including Jung Kook’s song “Seven,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, and RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person,” which reached No. 5 on Billboard’s album chart last year.
Times pop music critic Mikael Wood contributed to this report.