K-Pop Singer Takes The Spotlight At Mets Game With Polished Windup

K-pop singer Jang Won-young surprised fans when she threw the opening ceremonial pitch at the Mets game on Sunday with a “helluva windup.”

On Sunday, the IVE K-pop band, with over six million daily listeners across the globe, was invited to attend the New York Mets game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the entire IVE group was there, Jang had the honor of throwing out the first pitch, and her mechanical windup caused people to question whether South Korea taught basic pitching mechanics to its students. 

“​​To be fair, Jang has a helluva windup, which has me thinking, do they teach pitching mechanics in elementary schools in South Korea and Japan?” OutKick Senior Director of Content Joe Kinsey asked.

Kinsey wondered how Jang could come over here and put “our travel ball kids to shame?”

The K-pop group also filmed content with former Korean major leaguer Kim Byung-hyun and former professional pitcher Dustin Nippert. 

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a game watched by baseball fans around the world,” Jang said according to The Korean Times. 

“I’ll do my best to share positive energy with both the players and everyone in the stands,” she added.

The IVE K-pop group participated in the ceremony while on the North American section of its second world tour “SHOW WHAT I AM.” Called an “undeniable force in K-pop’s next generation” by Billboard, IVE will perform in eight arena shows in both the United States and Canada from July to August. Their world tour launched late in 2025 also includes performances in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

This is not the first time the MLB has integrated K-pop stars into the league in an effort to appeal to a younger audience. On the league’s opening day, BTS — one of the most popular music groups in global history — teamed up with MLB after its album “ARIRANG” debuted shortly before the baseball season began. MLB used the song for a hype video on Instagram.

 

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BTS band member V threw the ceremonial opening pitch at Dodger Stadium and met baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in 2025.

K-pop has exploded in popularity in the United States, particularly due to BTS, who won the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist in 2017.