For maybe the first time in history, Shohei Ohtani was outshone on a baseball diamond.
Ohtani’s beloved dog, Decoy, took to the mound at Dodger Stadium to “throw out” the first pitch on the Dodgers star’s bobblehead night on Wednesday, August 28.
Fans lined up outside the stadium 10 hours before first pitch to get their hands on a prized bobblehead, which featured Ohtani, 30, holding Decoy in his arms.
Once inside, Decoy — a Dutch Kooikerhondje — gave the nearly 54,000 fans a show. Dressed in a custom #17 Dodgers jersey to match his dad, Decoy scooped up the baseball in his mouth and ran straight to Ohtani who was crouched down behind home plate playing catcher.
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After successfully delivering the ball, Decoy gave Ohtani a high-five much to the delight of the sold-out crowd.
During his post-game media availability, Ohtani said he and Decoy had been practicing the trick for nearly three weeks, including a “dry run” inside the famed stadium recently.
“It’s a really special night,” Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton. “I hope to buy some special snack for him.”
Bobbleheads were given to the first 40,000 fans through the gates, with roughly 2,000 random ones painted gold. One of the gold bobbleheads is now listed on eBay for $17,000.
According to Sports Business Journal, the line had become so long that “parking gates were practically forced to open two hours before they normally would.”
The game was such a hot ticket that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts almost missed Decoy’s big stunt because he was stuck in traffic.
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“I’m just happy that I made it,” Roberts said. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know if it was Shohei or Decoy or a combo, but there’s a high demand for this dang bobblehead. It took me forever to get inside Dodger Stadium. There was a long line.”
Decoy has become quite a celebrity since being spotted next to Ohtani in a video of him accepting the American League MVP award last year.
After being traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the Dodgers in December, Ohtani gave an explanation of Decoy’s name during his introductory press conference.
“He’s named Dekopin. For people here, I think the pronunciation is difficult,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “His original name was Decoy. So when I explain it to people here, I introduce him as Decoy because it’s easier.”
