On August 26, V walked into Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles wearing the team’s uniform, as BTS‘s “MIC Drop” rocked the stands. V took the field for the ceremonial first pitch.
V, pitching left-handed, made his ceremonial pitch to thunderous cheers, and then the stadium erupted with the Dodgers’ iconic catchphrase rang out, voiced by legendary announcer Vin Scully, “It’s Dodgers baseball time!”
Despite the excitement surrounding V’s historic appearance, many controversy flared earlier after Big Hit Music’s account on X announced the release of Jimin’s MUSE vinyl. To some of V’s fans, the timing seemed to steal attention from his milestone.
One netizen criticized Big Hit Music’s announcement: “You could have waited a few hours… huh… what a damn company…”
Another added: “Why are PJMS and the Jokers criticizing me and calling me a JM hater just because I said a company is trying to steal their members’ moments again?” Vinyl inspiration will come, won’t it? Perhaps you should remind your source not to post anything on the same day and time?
In contrast, many netizens argued that the announcement mainly meant for Jimin’s fans and wouldn’t affect a sports event. Some went further, expressing their displeasure at the double standards of BTS fans, citing what happened during the release of Jimin’s first solo album, FACE, which overlapped with the releases of bandmates J-Hope and Suga:
- “In the FACE era, all the albums and collaborations were released together. While we were complaining, you were saying they were brothers. Think about it, the company did this with Jimin’s debut album, not his debut concert. You didn’t comment, so why are you crying now? They’re brothers.”
- “Did you say this when FACE was released, and RM, JH, and Suga released the singles, giving Jimin only nine days to promote?”
- “Maybe because you have bad intentions, and those who criticized you know how to read between the lines. How can a vinyl ad steal someone’s sports event?”
- “Honestly, the excuse is always the same: “I don’t I attack the member, but the company…But in the end, who is to blame? Well, yes, Jimin, of course. It’s a bit easy to hide behind that when you see that the innuendos fuel a fan war.”
Meanwhile, commentators described V’s pitch as a “global sensation,” noting that ticket sales more than quintupled as soon as his appearance was announced, briefly crashing StubHub’s servers. They even joked, “That breaking ball looked so good—sign it now.”
Later, BigHit Music reposted V’s comments after the event, in which he recalled his Dodger memories, saying, “I once watched a Dodgers game with the members right after their debut. Coming back here brought back those memories, and it was so fun. Throwing out the first pitch in a place associated with those early memories was especially meaningful. If I get another chance, I’d like to learn properly and do it again. I’m grateful to all the army and baseball fans who cheered so passionately.”
