Courtesy of MLB
Shohei Ohtani and his wife aren’t the only athletes in the family … ’cause the Dodgers superstar’s adorable dog, Decoy, stole the show with a perfect “first pitch” at Wednesday’s game!!
The Japanese slugger’s four-legged friend was the star of the night when L.A. hosted the Baltimore Orioles — not only did he participate in the pre-game festivities … but the team handed out 40,000 bobbleheads featuring Ohtani holding Decoy.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Prior to the first inning, Ohtani and Decoy — wearing a No. 17 jersey — went out to the field to do the ceremonial toss … with Shohei setting him up on the mound and placing a baseball next to him before taking his position behind home plate.
Then on Ohtani’s command, Decoy picked up the ball and ran toward his papa … executing a truly memorable first pitch!!
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Ohtani was jolly as could be about Decoy’s job well done … giving him a high five and a treat for being the best boy.
The sellout crowd was all about it … cheering for the adorable pup.
Launch Gallery
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Of course, the Kooikerhondje has become quite the celebrity since he was introduced to the world … and there was even a bit of mystery surrounding his name before Ohtani finally spilled the beans on it at his introductory press conference with the Dodgers.
His popularity — as well as Ohtani’s — was evident on Wednesday … when thousands of fans hit up the stadium hours before the gates opened just to make sure they got their hands on the special giveaway.
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Some even got lucky enough to get the golden version of the bobbles … and those are fetching more than $1,000 on auction sites right now.
It was a damn near perfect night for Ohtani’s family … as Shohei had a home run in the first inning … as well as two stolen bases.
