DAY6's Won-pil throws ceremonial first pitch as KIA Tigers win 2-1 in walk-off

Won-pil of DAY6 took the mound at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on August 29, uniform number 97 on his back—a reference to DAY6's September 7 debut anniversary. KIA won 2-1. Park Jung-woo came through with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 10th, bases loaded, one out.

This was Won-pil's second appearance as a Tigers good-luck charm. He threw the first pitch at a KIA vs. Samsung Lions game on June 11 last year, and KIA won that one too. An April attempt got rained out before he could even throw. (He got a coaching session from pitcher Lee Ui-ri out of it anyway.)

KIA's official Instagram filled in the details: "A previous ceremonial first pitch was cancelled due to rain, and today Won-pil returned to Champil. Together with the first pitch guidance learned from Lee Ui-ri, he conveyed strong fighting spirit on the ground with 'Tigers are great~'"

The timing fit a packed stretch for Won-pil. His mini-album Unpiltered dropped in March and hit number one on music charts, placing every track in the Melon TOP 100 and setting a career-high in album sales. He sold out three nights at Seoul Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium from May 1-3, then headlined 'Beautiful Mint Life 2026' on May 31—his first solo festival headline slot. DAY6 wrapped their 10th debut anniversary world tour encore, 'The DECADE FINALE in SEOUL', across three nights at Seoul KSPO DOME from July 3-5.

His self-composed track '행운을 빌어 줘' (Wishing You Good Fortune) from his 2022 solo debut Pilmography keeps re-entering Melon and other major domestic charts every New Year's Day. Won-pil marks 11 years in his career on September 7 with DAY6. He's set to headline XMF 2026 (Xnterstellar Music Festival 2026) at Paradise City in Incheon on October 4.