Shohei Ohtani and Decoy arrive to Dodger Stadium in style (Image Credits: @shoheiohtani/Instagram)
It’s a special night in Los Angeles, as a long line could be seen stretching out of the main gates at Dodger Stadium as fans waited anxiously to get their hands on a special Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead ahead of the Dodgers’ clash against the Baltimore Orioles.
“Shotime” arrived for the inter-league clash in style alongside his Dutch Kooikerhondje Decoy, which in Japanese translates to “Dekopin”, meaning to flick someone on the forehead using your index finger.
Take a look at the video and the images of Ohtanis arrival below:
“The first gold bobblehead goes to Shohei and Decoy,” the Dodgers wrote on Instagram.
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People queued well in advance of the game, as the organization reported having approximately 40,000 bobbleheads, out of which 1,700 were special gold ones. With Dodger Stadium having a full capacity of 56,000, the math was simple: not everyone was going to get their hands on the special golden bobblehead.
While some fans were elated to receive a special gold-colored Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead, others were happy just to receive a normal one, as it felt like a festive occasion at the ballpark and not a game night. Such is the love that the two-way superstar garners wherever he goes.
Ohtani made his blockbuster move to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 offseason after penning down a 10-year, $700 million contract. Since then, has has been unstoppable at the plate. He became only the sixth player in MLB history to achieve the 40-40 feat and has his eyes set on a deep postseason run with the Dodgers.
The ballclub even announced that a select number of bobbleheads would be available for purchase online at eBay for a fixed price tag of $160, and 60 odd would be auctioned, expected to fetch an even greater price. It is safe to say that no Dodgers fan wants to be left out of getting their hands on Shohei Ohtani and Decoy’s special bobblehead.
Decoy fetches ceremonial first pitch for Shohei Ohtani on special bobblehead night
Decoy looked calm and composed as he took to the mound to fetch the ceremonial first pitch baseball for Ohtani, who sat behind the home plate.
Decoy – wearing Shohei’s No. 17 Dodgers jersey – carefully picked up the ball and ran towards home plate, where Ohtani greeted him with a high-five and a treat for fetching the ceremonial first pitch.
Take a look at the video here:
The crowd seemed to love the moment between Ohtani and his pet, as the Dodgers then took to the field to take on the Orioles in a hotly anticipated second game of their three-game series. Baltimore won the opening encounter 3-2, while the Dodgers – at the time of writing – currently lead 5-3 at the top of the fourth inning as the home ballclub looks to tie the series.