Before he ultimately landed on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, multiple teams were interested in signing Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking contract.
With the secrecy surrounding the negotiations, wishful fans were looking for any sign of where Ohtani was signing. One theory was about the name of Ohtani’s dog, a Dutch Kooikerhondje.
Ohtani would not reveal the name when he was show with his dog during the MLB Awards show, leading people to believe it was related to the team he would join.
When the deal between Ohtani and the Dodgers became official, Ohtani finally revealed the dog’s name to be “Dekopin,” or “Decoy” in English, during his press conference.
During the negotiations with Ohtani, the Dodgers also made sure to treat Dekopin with dog toys, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
They leaned into one of the more comedic subplots to the superstar’s free agency, as the Wall Street Journal first reported, by fetching some Dodger-themed dog toys from their gift shop to give to the player’s pup, Decoy (before the dog’s name became public knowledge).
The internet first fell in love with Ohtani’s dog after the two appeared on MLB Network during the announcement of the 2023 American League MVP Award winner. From there, the internet’s obsession with Decoy really took off among MLB fans.
Ohtani went on to sign a record 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, including a historic $680 million of it deferred, after a free agency saga for the ages.
Shohei Ohtani’s dog makes Dodger Stadium debut
On March 28, the Dodgers had their home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.
The stadium was packed with fans eager to celebrate the coming of a new season and the arrival of Ohtani, and there was also an extra special guest in one of the suites as Dekopin was in attendance as well.
He might have provided some good luck as Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored, but most importantly the day ended with a 7-1 Dodgers win.
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