Idols Already Fill the First Pitch Lineup… Why Baseball Stadiums Have Become K-pop Stages [HT Focus]

K-pop idols are flocking to baseball stadiums.

The 2026 KBO regular season opened on the 28th. Although not even a full week has passed since opening day, the number of K-pop idols listed in the ceremonial first pitch lineup has already reached ten, including fromis_9’s CHAEYOUNG, NCT’s JOHNNY, P1Harmony’s THEO, ITZY’s YUNA, YOUNITE’s SION and EUNHO, tripleS’s KIM CHAEYEON, KORTIS’s GUNHO and JAMES, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s TAEHYUN. Why are idols eager to be part of the first pitch lineup?

Attendance for professional baseball has been rising sharply in recent years. According to the official KBO website, total attendance in 2024 reached approximately 10.88 million, a 34% increase compared to 2023. The 2025 season recorded around 12.31 million attendees, marking the highest attendance since the league’s launch in 1982.

These newly drawn audiences have also become a valuable potential fan base for K-pop idols. Following a new broadcasting rights agreement in 2024 that eased restrictions on using game footage, teams actively began utilizing new media content, attracting women in their 20s and 30s to stadiums.

These audiences are people who actively purchase tickets and attend games in person. They are already familiar with the catharsis that can only be experienced live, making them a demographic that is also comfortable with offline concert culture. Compared to traditional baseball audiences in their 50s and 60s, it is relatively easier to lead this group toward K-pop concerts or fan meetings.

The ways idols utilize baseball stadiums can largely be divided into two categories. First are those expanding their careers from group members into broader entertainers. JOHNNY of NCT, who threw the ceremonial first pitch at an LG Twins game on March 29, has been actively pursuing individual activities since last year. He was selected as the sole MC for MLB’s lifestyle talk content ‘Merry Talk’ in September last year, hosted the YouTube content ‘쟌소리,’ and appeared on the SBS sports variety program ‘Hot-Blooded Basketball Team: Rising Eagles,’ led by former national basketball player Seo Jang-hoon.

Similarly, fromis_9’s CHAEYOUNG, who threw the first pitch at the Samsung Lions’ opening game on March 28, has been consistently communicating with fans through YouTube content ‘Seongsu-gi’ since June last year. She also gained significant attention for her ‘Short Hair’ cover stage at the KBS Song Festival and recently participated in a solo pictorial and interview for the March issue of Singles magazine.

For these idols, the baseball stadium is not merely a place to promote an album or project, but a stage to showcase themselves as content. The way first pitch videos or photos in uniforms are consumed on social media is not much different from fancams or variety show clips.

On the other hand, ITZY’s YUNA and P1Harmony’s THEO represent a different approach. THEO, who released P1Harmony’s 9th mini album ‘UNIQUE’ on March 12, visited Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark yesterday (31st), where he both threw the first pitch and sang the national anthem. YUNA, who debuted as a solo artist with her first album ‘Ice Cream’ on March 23, will take the mound today (1st) at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Despite being in the middle of busy comeback promotions and ongoing music show activities, she is participating in a weekday first pitch event.

For them, the baseball stadium serves as a point of contact with the general public beyond their fandom. Singing the national anthem emphasizes their identity as vocalists, while appearing at games during peak promotional periods maximizes album promotion effects.

Although both groups choose baseball stadiums, their purposes differ. JOHNNY and CHAEYOUNG use it to showcase themselves, while YUNA and THEO use it to promote “the present moment.” This suggests that for K-pop idols, baseball stadiums are no longer just event venues or places to express personal fandom for a team, but flexible platforms that can be utilized according to individual needs.

As baseball stadiums continue to grow in scale, more idols are stepping onto their fields. Regardless of the reason or purpose, idols have already recognized the potential of these venues. With ten idols already appearing in first pitch lineups within just ten days of the season’s start, it raises curiosity about how many more will take the field by the end of the season.