[SBS Star] HOONY Gets Slammed for His Unexpected 18-Second Dance Before Throwing the First Pitch

HOONY of K-pop boy group WINNER is facing backlash after his unexpected 18-second performance before throwing the first pitch.

On August 28, HOONY took the pitching mound as the ceremonial first pitcher for the game between the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles at Sajik Baseball Stadium, Busan. 
 
Revealing himself as a fan of the Lotte Giants, he energized the crowd by shouting, "Lotte WINNER is here! Scream for victory, Giants!"

He then struck a pitching pose as if he was all ready to throw, but suddenly started dancing to the music. 

The dance lasted about 18 seconds, set to his solo song "MY TYPE," which was playing in the stadium.

Meanwhile, Son Sung-bin, who was ready to catch the ball, waited, but the ball did not come.

18 seconds later, HOONY ended his performance and finally threw the ball, which hit the ground and bounced high, going over Son Sung-bin's head.
 
Following HOONY's pitch, however, he came under fire for potentially disrupting the game's flow and distracting the players.

Some compared him to other ceremonial first pitchers who approach the pitching mound more cautiously and seriously.

Many reacted with comments like, "He's just dragging it out for no reason. No one likes it when the first pitch takes too long," "Imagine this. Him kicking up grass during a ceremonial kickoff in soccer—that's how ridiculous his 'dance pitch' was," "The catcher must've been frustrated waiting for him to finally throw the ball," "It might have been okay if he'd at least thrown the ball well..." and more.

Some fans even filed complaints with the Korea Baseball Organization, urging them to prevent disruptive first pitches in the future. 

The criticism grew stronger as the Lotte Giants lost to the Hanwha Eagles 0-7 that day.

Not everyone was critical of HOONY's unexpected performance though. 

Some videos showed the crowd cheering during his dance, and there were supportive comments online, such as, "Come on! It was just a special event—what's the big deal?" "It was unique and entertaining," "Isn’t that exactly why celebrities are invited to throw the first pitch?" and "People are just blaming him because the Lotte Giants lost," and so on.
 
(Credit= 'maetamong' Instagram, 'KBO' YouTube) 

(SBS Star)