BTS' J-Hope steals the spotlight with epic first pitch at KBO Korean series post-military discharge

J-Hope, star of the K-pop band, BTS, celebrated his discharge from mandatory military service with a thrilling first pitch to kick off the KBO Korean Series as fans in the packed out stadium cheered gleefully.

The KIA Tigers clashed with the Samsung Lions but all eyes turned to the 30-year-old, who made sure he staged a grand entrance by driving onto the field in a KIA EV9 SUV electric car at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

And as he approached the mound, he made sure he paid tribute to his musical career and BTS colleagues with a deep purple glove containing their signature phrase, "Borahae", before sinking the pitch straight over home plate for a "strike".

He then bowed his head to the fans and tipped his hat to the crowd before joining them in the executive boxes as he watched the contest, where he was later spotted enjoying himself with Bruno Mars to BLACKPINK singer Rose's APT.

On the night, it was the Tigers who came away with the Game 2 win to double their advantage in the Korean equivalent of the World Series as they ran out comfortable 8-3 winners after bringing in three runs in the bottom of the first in front of 19,300 people.

He was discharged from the military after completing his mandatory service, which must be done by all men aged between 18-35 with very rare exemptions such as the soccer player, Heung-min Son, who didn't have to serve his after winning the Asian Games.

When is Game 3 of the 2024 KBO Korean Series?

Fans can catch Game 3 of the 2024 KBO Korean Series on October 25 as the two teams swap venues by heading to the Daegu Samsung Lions Park at 05:30 ET/02:30 PT.

The KIA Tigers lead the series 2-0 as the Samsung Lions look to respond on their home turf, located 172 miles away from Seoul.