Major League Baseball teams often hold special “bobblehead days,” when limited-edition bobblehead figures of popular players are distributed to fans attending the game.

During these events, family members — such as wives, children, or parents — are frequently invited to participate in ceremonial first pitches.

When Shohei Ohtani’s first bobblehead day with the Dodgers arrived, many fans expected his wife Mamiko Tanaka to throw out the ceremonial pitch.

Instead, the Ohtanis invited a child to do it.

The child’s emotional reaction upon hearing the surprise invitation from Ohtani became a widely shared moment online and was viewed by countless people on YouTube and social media.

The second bobblehead day took place on August 28, 2024.

Hours before the game even started, enormous lines formed outside Dodger Stadium, and traffic around the stadium became severely congested.

It was another reminder of just how enormous Ohtani’s popularity had become.

Yet on that particular day, there was someone who may have been even more popular than Shohei himself:

His dog, Decoy (known in Japan as Dekopin).

Wearing a custom Dodgers No. 17 jersey, Decoy accompanied Ohtani onto the pitcher’s mound. Ohtani carefully placed a baseball on the mound and left Decoy waiting beside it.

Then Ohtani moved behind home plate and gave the signal.

Immediately, Decoy picked up the baseball in his mouth and sprinted straight toward Ohtani.

The performance was perfect.

The packed stadium erupted into applause as Decoy successfully completed one of the most memorable ceremonial first pitches in recent baseball history.

Later, Ohtani revealed that the routine was not spontaneous at all.

For three weeks, he and Decoy had practiced the performance together, including rehearsals inside an empty stadium.

Looking back on it, Ohtani laughed and said:

“We even rehearsed it in an empty stadium beforehand. Honestly, it was a pretty fun practice.”

The moment became so beloved that videos of Decoy’s first pitch were viewed around the world — in some cases even more widely than Ohtani’s home run from that same game.

The quote reveals a lighter and more playful side of Ohtani.

Even while carrying the pressure of being baseball’s biggest superstar, he still found joy in creating a fun moment for fans, his dog, and the people around him.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

SHO—TIME 3.0: Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers’ First World Series Championship p.241