More than five hours before first pitch Wednesday, fans were already lining up outside Dodger Stadium for the night’s bobblehead giveaway featuring Shohei Ohtani and his dog, Dekopin.
Once inside, they got to see both subjects in real life, too.
Not only was Ohtani atop the Dodgers’ lineup Wednesday, in his customary slot as designated hitter. But his dog, a Nederlandse Kooikerhondje who attracted online fame during Ohtani’s free agency this winter, was also at the ballpark for the occasion.
For the ceremonial first pitch, Ohtani carried Dekopin out to the mound, placed a ball on the rubber, then ran and crouched behind home plate. On command, the dog then picked up the ball in its mouth and ran to Ohtani.
The early-arriving Dodger Stadium crowd roared in approval.
While he doesn’t have any $700 million contracts or 40-40 seasons on the field, Dekopin became something of a celebrity in his own right this offseason.
When Ohtani won the American League MVP award in November, he was joined by Dekopin — whose nickname is “Decoy” — for a television interview.
Then, as speculation swirled around Ohtani’s free agency, the then-unknown name of his dog attracted attention, with multiple news reports suggesting Ohtani’s camp was trying to keep it a secret — perhaps, some guessed, because he was named after one of the teams pursuing the two-way star.
Turned out, Ohtani had actually named the dog Dekopin, a Japanese term used to describe a light or playful flick of the finger on someone’s forehead.
“For people here, I think the pronunciation is difficult,” Ohtani said of Dekopin’s name during his introductory news conference with the Dodgers. “His original name was Decoy. So when I explain it to people here, I introduce him as Decoy because it’s easier.”
Ever since then, Dekopin has become a furry favorite among Dodgers fans — prompting the team to organize Wednesday’s novel giveaway.
As for why fans were lining up so early?
Some 53,000 people were expected to be at Wednesday night’s game; but only 40,000 bobbleheads were expected to be given away.
“I’m just happy that I made it,” manager Dave Roberts joked about three hours to first pitch, after sitting in a long line of traffic to get in the ballpark. “If you plan on coming, you better have already left.”
