Jang Hyuk-jin Predicts LG Back-to-Back. Fans Are Ready.

Korean baseball's 2026 opening weekend just got its best storyline of the year. The Model Taxi 3 cast — split exactly 3-2 between KIA Tigers fans and LG Twins supporters — is heading to the ballpark. Pyo Ye-jin and Jang Hyuk-jin, the duo backing the Twins, have been confirmed as ceremonial first batter and first pitcher for LG's home opener on March 31 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The opponent: KIA Tigers, rooted for by the other three cast members.

This is not a coincidental alignment. It is the direct outcome of a March 15 broadcast of SBS variety program My Little Old Boy, where all five lead actors of Model Taxi 3 revealed their baseball allegiances in real time. What followed — both on air and across fan communities — became one of Korean entertainment's most genuinely fun celebrity sports stories of the new year.

Lee Je-hoon, Bae Yu-ram, and Kim Ui-sung fly the KIA flag. Pyo Ye-jin and Jang Hyuk-jin hold firmly to LG. Both groups will get their moment: the Twins camp at Jamsil on March 31, and the Tigers camp at Gwangju Champions Field on April 3 to 5. Two stadiums, two ceremonial events, one cast.

The Broadcast That Set It All in Motion

The My Little Old Boy broadcast on March 15 brought the entire Model Taxi 3 principal cast together at a restaurant owned by Bae Yu-ram's family. The setting was relaxed, the mood warm, and the baseball conversation that emerged felt entirely unscripted — which, of course, made it significantly more entertaining.

The arithmetic was straightforward: three KIA supporters versus two LG loyalists. Bae Yu-ram and Kim Ui-sung had made their KIA affiliations known in various contexts before, and Lee Je-hoon — one of the most recognizable actors currently working in Korean television — has a documented history of attending KIA games and participating in team events. Pyo Ye-jin and Jang Hyuk-jin's LG fandom was equally genuine and equally public.

Seeing all five in the same room, talking trash in the affectionate, playful way that characterizes the cast's public dynamic, turned a standard variety broadcast segment into a minor viral moment. Jang Hyuk-jin's contribution was the most quotable: "당연히 LG 우승이다. 2연패." "Of course it's LG's championship. Back-to-back." He said it without hesitation. He has presumably been asked about it every day since.

March 31 at Jamsil Stadium

The March 31 home opener is part of 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League opening weekend. The matchup — LG Twins hosting KIA Tigers — makes the cast connection even more pointed. Pyo Ye-jin will perform the ceremonial first bat (시타), Jang Hyuk-jin handles the first pitch (시구).

For LG fans, this is exactly the kind of high-profile celebrity backing that the start of a new season calls for. The Twins enter 2026 with championship ambitions, and the presence of two of Korean entertainment's more genuinely popular figures at the home opener generates media momentum that extends well beyond the sports pages. Jang Hyuk-jin's back-to-back prediction, already circulating on fan platforms, has taken on the quality of an unofficial team rallying cry heading into the weekend.

Pyo Ye-jin's role as ceremonial first batter carries its own narrative weight. She is the kind of celebrity whose participation in events like this comes across as genuine — largely because it is. Her LG fandom has been expressed consistently across social media and variety appearances, and her presence at Jamsil on March 31 will feel to LG fans like the arrival of someone who actually wants to be there.

April at Gwangju: The KIA Response

Lee Je-hoon, Bae Yu-ram, and Kim Ui-sung will participate in ceremonial events at Gwangju Champions Field during the KIA Tigers' home series from April 3 to 5. The symmetry is clean and the production feels balanced. Both factions of the cast get a significant occasion, both at their team's home ground, within the opening month of the KBO season.

Lee Je-hoon's connection to KIA is well established. He previously participated in a KIA ceremonial first pitch during the 2025 season at Champions Field, and his backing of the team has been consistent and well-documented. The April event at Gwangju will feel, for both the team and its fans, like a natural continuation of that relationship.

Kim Ui-sung brings considerable cultural stature to the KIA camp. The veteran actor has an extensive and impressive career that spans film, television, and theater, and his presence at any public event draws attention in its own right. Together with Lee Je-hoon and Bae Yu-ram, the KIA faction of the cast presents a remarkably strong lineup for what is ostensibly a promotional sports occasion.

The Model Taxi Franchise as Cultural Infrastructure

Model Taxi 3 is the third season of a franchise that began with the original SBS series in 2021. The show follows a secret vigilante taxi service that operates outside official legal channels to deliver justice to clients who have been failed by the system. Its combination of high-stakes action, emotionally resonant character work, and ensemble storytelling has made it one of Korean television's more consistently successful drama properties across multiple seasons.

Pyo Ye-jin first appeared in the franchise as Ahn Go-eun, a hacker and technical specialist whose role expanded significantly across the sequels. She is now among the most recognizable faces associated with the series and has leveraged the franchise's success into a broader public profile that extends well beyond the drama itself. Her participation in variety programming, press events, and fan activities has been notably consistent and well-received.

Jang Hyuk-jin joined the cast in the later seasons and immediately established himself as a fan favorite for his warmth and comedic instincts. He brings a quality to ensemble settings that is genuinely rare: the ability to be entertaining without needing to dominate. His baseball championship prediction is a perfect expression of that quality — quick, confident, entirely genuine, and immediately quotable.

Fan Culture and the Crossover Appeal

Celebrity participation in KBO ceremonial events is a well-established promotional tradition, but the Model Taxi 3 situation has elevated this particular crossover into something more organic. The reason is relatively simple: the cast's baseball loyalties pre-exist the promotional arrangement. The teams reached out because the cast members are actual fans, not the other way around.

That distinction matters to Korean entertainment audiences in ways that may not be immediately obvious to outside observers. The K-pop and K-drama fan community is exceptionally attuned to authenticity in celebrity behavior, and the difference between a contracted appearance and a genuine fan showing up for their team registers clearly. Both LG and KIA have, in the Model Taxi 3 cast, found the best possible version of the celebrity first pitch story: one where nobody needed to pretend.

Social media discussion has reflected this dynamic. LG fans have embraced Jang Hyuk-jin's prediction with the kind of energy reserved for allies rather than ambassadors. KIA fans have countered with historical arguments, statistical projections, and enthusiastic reminders that their team enters the season as a genuine championship contender. The debate runs clean because both sides feel legitimate.

What to Watch For

March 31 at Jamsil is the beginning of what will likely be an ongoing celebrity narrative woven through the 2026 KBO season. Every time LG and KIA face each other — and they will face each other multiple times before the season concludes — the cast storyline adds a layer of personal stakes to a rivalry that already carries significant weight in Korean baseball.

The opening weekend event sets the tone. Pyo Ye-jin and Jang Hyuk-jin will be at Jamsil in the team colors of the side they have publicly backed, in front of fans who are well aware of exactly what Jang Hyuk-jin said on that March 15 broadcast. The pressure is light and the occasion is ceremonial, but the record is established.

Back-to-back, Jang Hyuk-jin said. The season starts this weekend.