The Los Angeles Dodgers had their second and final Shohei Ohtani bobblehead giveaway of the season, which also featured his dog Decoy (Dekopin) as part of the sought after promotion.
Fans began lining up outside of Dodger Stadium before 9 a.m. for the 7 p.m. first pitch game, and gates opened 40 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate the influx of fans.
The traffic around Dodger Stadium began hours before the gates opened, which made it a challenge for stadium workers, coaches and players to get inside as well.
“I’m just happy that I made it. It’s unbelievable,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“I don’t know if it was Shohei or Decoy or a combo, but man, there’s a high demand for these, this dang bobblehead. It took me forever to get inside Dodger Stadium. There’s a long line, so if you plan on coming, you better have already left tonight.
“No, you know what, Shohei has been great. I think that he’s having fun with all the success, promoting of him and his dog, and it’s great for the Dodger. It’s fantastic.”
Thankfully, everyone eventually made it inside the stadium, and Roberts gave some help to a worker as well as the skipper picked up one of the top deck stadium workers amid the craze. “She was laboring up the hill, so I picked her up and gave her a little lift,” he said.
While some of the players dealt with the traffic as well, all arrived early enough for it to not be a major issue, but it even left Ohtani surprised how many fans were waiting.
“I was surprised as well when I came to the park with my family,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, Will Ireton. “I wasn’t really aware of the situation. I thought it was some other special event going on.
The Dodgers ended up with an announced attendance of 53,290, which marked sellout No. 16 of 2024. It trailed the attendance for Kiké Hernández bobblehead night, as well as Ohtani’s first Dodgers bobblehead, but the lines of people waiting to get in did not compare.
Decoy throws out first pitch to Shohei Ohtani
With a packed stadium, Decoy was given an opportunity in the spotlight as Ohtani carried him out the mound for the ceremonial first pitch.
Dekopin waited for a command from Ohtani, who went into a crouch behind home plate, and he then picked up the baseball to deliver it down the middle.
Ohtani then added onto the night with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. He became just the eighth player since 1901 to hit 10 home runs and have at least 10 stolen bases in one month.
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