Shohei Ohtani's dog Decoy to be featured in Dodger star's next bobblehead
A bobblehead featuring Shohei Ohtani and his dog Decoy, which the Los Angeles Dodgers will give away during their Aug. 28 game. (Credit: Dodgers)
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers have released images of the next Shohei Ohtani bobblehead the team will be giving away this season, and the collectible features a special guest, Ohtani's beloved dog Decoy.
The Dodgers shared the image of the bobblehead in a recent email blast to fans. It features Ohtani standing in his home white jersey, cradling Decoy in his arms. The bobblehead will be given away at the Dodgers' Aug. 28 game against the Baltimore Orioles. It's the second Ohtani bobblehead the team will give away this season.
The team gave the first one out on May 16, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, and it was a wild scene at Dodger Stadium. The promotion led to massive sprawling lines, zigzagging throughout the many Dodger Stadium parking lots, and massive traffic backups hours before first pitch. The Dodgers also surprised fans with a secret giveaway that night. While the advertised bobblehad featured Ohtani in the home white jersey, the team also gave away 1,700 exclusive bobbleheads showing Ohtani in the road grays. Both versions were seen on online marketplaces as early as that night, going for hundreds and in some cases more than $1,000.
The first Shohei Ohtani bobbleheads the Los Angeles Dodgers gave away on May 16, including the limited edition bobblehead featuring the Dodger away grays. (Source: @Dodgers via X)
There's no indication yet that the Dodgers will plan to do anything similar with the upcoming bobblehead night, but the chaos at Dodger Stadium will likely be similar.
Decoy has become nearly as much of a star as the two-time MVP. During last season's MVP award ceremony, Shohei went viral because of images of him with his beloved dog. The pup's name remained a secret for weeks, with some even speculating that the name was somehow tied to where Ohtani was planning on signing in free agency.
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In December, during the Dodgers' introductory press conference with Ohtani, FOX 11's Kyle Kraska asked the question that was on everyone's mind — what was the dog's name?
Ohtani responded by saying the dog is named "Dekopin," but because it may be tough to pronounce the name in English, the pup also goes by "Decoy," here in the United States.
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The Dodgers have several other bobblehead nights to get through before Ohtani and Decoy's collectible will be available. The Dodgers are giving away bobbleheads of Bobby Miller, Jason Heyward, Sandy Koufax, Dusty Baker, Matt Kemp and Teoscar Hernández all before Aug. 28.
Tickets for the game are still available on the Dodgers' website, with prices ranging between $100 and $1,750.