Ha Ji-won Takes Aim at Fenway Park for MLB Debut, Becomes Korea’s First-Ever Pitcher at the Ballpark

Ha Ji-won is set to become the first Korean actor to take the mound at U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) ballpark Fenway Park.

According to her agency, Haewadal Entertainment, Ha Ji-won will serve as the ceremonial first-pitch thrower for the regular-season game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, on the 21st (local time). Opened in 1912, Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in MLB and a site that symbolizes baseball history—making this the first time a Korean actor has appeared as a ceremonial first-pitch thrower there. The event was organized as part of MLB’s global activities aimed at connecting sports and entertainment and communicating with fans around the world. Ha Ji-won said, “I feel extremely honored to be able to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park, one of the most historic and symbolic ballparks,” adding, “I want to spread the energy of victory to the Red Sox players and share a precious moment with baseball fans everywhere.”

Earlier, Ha Ji-won generated attention when she also appeared as a ceremonial first-pitch thrower in a KBO League game between the LG Twins and the KT Wiz held on June 16 at Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Returning to the mound for the first time in 12 years since her 2014 charity baseball event, she wore a uniform bearing No. 8 and showcased unchanged beauty along with a serious pitching stance. At the time, a pitch she threw hit KT batter Choi Won-jun at the body, but Choi—who said he had been one of Ha Ji-won’s fans since elementary school—also shared a witty follow-up: “I could have avoided it, but I thought I should get hit once.” The remark added a warm touch to the moment.

Beyond domestic ballparks, Ha Ji-won has also moved into Major League Baseball in the United States, maintaining active work while balancing her main acting career and entertainment appearances. She is currently enrolled at Kyung Hee University, and she is showing a different side by appearing in the web entertainment program 〈26th-Year Class Applicant, Support Me〉, where she communicates freely with MZ-generation student peers. Looking ahead, on September 2 she will also meet audiences through the screen, with the release of the film 〈Biwang〉, in which she stars.