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Shohei Ohtani Reveals His Dog’s Name At Dodger Stadium, And The Internet Goes Wild
Shohei Ohtani and his dog posted by @MLB on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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@MLB on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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When MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani made his debut at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, reporters had very pressing questions for him — including the name of his dog.
Kyle Kraska with Fox LA said ever since last month’s Most Valuable Player award presentation, the whole world has wanted to know.
It's hard to steal the show from Shohei Ohtani, but... pic.twitter.com/KuKz9XIzgf
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 16, 2023
“There’s been speculation that it’s Dodger, there’s been speculation that it’s Walker,” Kraska said. “Could you please reveal to everyone in the world today — what is the name of your dog?”
Ohtani smiled and laughed as his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, relayed the question.
The dog’s name is Decoy.
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Well, it’s actually Dekopin, but Ohtani said he figured it would be hard for Americans to pronounce the Japanese name.
“He has an American name and it's Decoy,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “You can call him Decoy or Dekopin.”
It turns out Decoy the dog has almost as big of an online fan base as his owner.
@MLB is onto something. Someone needs to get Aaron Judge on the phone.
Hoping that Decoy Ohtani and Gus Judge can meet one day pic.twitter.com/kpyxaqnaG7
— MLB (@MLB) December 15, 2023
Thanks @Cut4, Decoy does look good in Dodger blue.
— Cut4 (@Cut4) December 9, 2023
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According to @VforVintageVera, we just weren’t good enough “Shobaes” to catch on earlier.
the way most shobaes knew shohei ohtani's dogs name was decoy but y'all didn't believe us lol pic.twitter.com/RU3W1rRv3M
— ❄️🧋 VforVera¹⁷🧋❄️ (@VforVintageVera) December 14, 2023
I agree @_kaylashoemaker, L.A. accepts the mission.
decoy must be protected at all costs🫡 https://t.co/gc7vWFsB3T
— Kayla Shoemaker💛 (@_kaylashoemaker) December 14, 2023
@WKCDOGS, did Ohtani go to Decoy’s MVP award presentation too?
Congratulations #Ohtani and the second MVP in the house Decoy! https://t.co/E13FXqhZpe
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) December 15, 2023
Turns out Decoy was cheering his dad on from home while Ohtani was at Dodger Stadium (via @ShoheiOhtani on Instagram).
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Shohei Ohtani shared this photo of Decoy on Instagram after Thursday's news conference at Dodger Stadium.
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Courtesy of @ShoheiOhtani on Instagram
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If you’re wondering what Dekopin means, @teeejaybae has got you covered.
Shohei’s dogs English name is Decoy, short for “dekopin” (でこぴん), which means to flick someone’s forehead in Japanese 😆 pic.twitter.com/U1zDgWpxtH
— 💭 (@teeejaybae) December 14, 2023
Some people like @jeremytache seem to think Decoy’s name goes a little deeper.
and so they wouldn’t tell us shohei’s dog’s name because they said it might give away where he was signing BUT
— jeremy chandler taché (@jeremytache) December 14, 2023
this was WHILE he was reportedly talking with the blue jays, so everyone THOUGHT the dog’s name was DODGER, but it’s really DECOY
BECAUSE toronto was a decoy all along pic.twitter.com/Ibj80LwPik
Ohtani’s no stranger to making history, but Decoy goes down in @slangsonsports mind too.
Ohtani's dog being Decoy is my favorite storyline in baseball history
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) December 14, 2023
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Not sure if I can say the same @jayher17, but it does sound pretty close.
Since it was revealed that Shohei’s dog is named Decoy, I have this song stuck in my head. pic.twitter.com/B7KKkkkvoy
— 🎄 Jeannette 🎄 (@jayher17) December 14, 2023
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