The Los Angeles Dodgers having a second Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night in his first season with the franchise may be unsurprising. Doing so with Ohtani’s dog, who went viral during the superstar’s free agency last winter, as part of the bobblehead?
That is a unique twist featuring a very good boy.
Los Angeles is having an Ohtani bobblehead night when it hosts the Baltimore Orioles on August 28, which will feature Ohtani’s dog, Decoy, being held in the superstar’s arms.
Decoy was sitting next to Ohtani when he accepted the 2023 American League MVP Award in what was his last season with the Los Angeles Angels, and later created viral buzz when reports emerged that the dog’s name, which at the time was unkown, would tip the hand of where Ohtani would sign in free agency. Ohtani eventually signed a historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers in December.
The Dodgers had their first Ohtani bobblehead night last month, which featured the two-way star in a traditional pose in the batter’s box.
Ohtani entered the Dodgers’ Tuesday game against the Colorado Rockies having totaled 19 home runs, 47 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, while sporting a .314/.388/.601 slash line as the team’s regular designated hitter. He’s currently the favorite to win the 2024 NL MVP Award (+165) after his teammate Mookie Betts, the previous NL MVP favorite, went down with a hand fracture from a hit by pitch Sunday.
The Dodgers are 45-29 this season, good for first place with an 8.5-game lead in the NL West.
Ohtani is a two-time MVP, two-time Silver Slugger and three-time All-Star who has served as a near-unprecedented star two-way player at pitcher and designated hitter when healthy in his career; he is not expected to pitch this season as he rehabs from 2023 elbow surgery.