Shohei Ohtani met with the media on Thursday evening for the first time since signing his record-breaking $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And while many of the questions touched upon Ohtani’s recent surgery and free agency, one reporter asked Ohtani the question many baseball fans really wanted to know.
What is the name of his dog?!
Ohtani’s dog stole the show during the live American League MVP announcement call with MLB Network. But at the time, Ohtani wouldn’t disclose the dog’s name, which fueled rumors that the name was somehow connected to his new team.
But no, the dog’s name is not Dodger — as some had speculated. Instead, the doggo is named “Dekopin” or “Decoy” for American fans.
Shohei has revealed the name of his dog pic.twitter.com/Y8qie38UWf
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 14, 2023
Considering the drama over the mystery flight to Toronto (that ended up being Robert Herjavec’s flight home), Decoy is a pretty spectacular name for Ohtani’s dog. It summed up the free agency quite well.
MLB fans were also excited to finally learn Dekopin/Decoy’s name.