Baseball fans eager to get their hands on a bobblehead of Los Angeles batter Shohei Ohtani and his dog Decoy lined up at Dodger Stadium more than seven hours before Wednesday’s giveaway game.
The “Shohei & Decoy” figure features a smiling Ohtani holding his one-year-old Dutch Kooikerhondje, who became a star in his own right when he sat next to the Japanese sensation after learning he had won his second MVP award last year.
Videos posted on social media showed a seemingly endless line of blue-and-white-clad Dodgers fans queuing in the heat hoping to take home the coveted bobblehead.
Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run home run in the third inning to lead off the game, Ohtani hit a home run in his second bobblehead night to open the game with a home run, and the Dodgers beat the Orioles 6-4.
Ohtani singled to score in the third inning and scored again in the fifth, giving the Japanese superstar a career-high 104 runs this season, surpassing his record of 103 set in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani hit his 42nd home run against Corbin Burnes and stole his 41st and 42nd bases to become the first major league player in history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
He and his dog Decoy threw out the ceremonial first pitch in front of a sold-out stadium of 53,290 spectators. At Ohtani’s signal at home base, the dog carried the ball in his mouth from the mound to the base, where he and his owner high-fived.
According to MLB.com, fans began arriving for the night game around noon, and long lines made it difficult even for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to get into the stadium.
“I’m just glad I did it,” he joked.
“It’s unbelievable. I don’t know if it was Shohei or Decoy or a combination, but the demand for that damn bobblehead is high. It took forever to get to Dodger Stadium.
“There was a long line. If you want to come, you’d better leave already.”
Ohtani, 30, has done more than just perform for the Dodgers since signing him to a record 10-year, $700 million contract this offseason.
The two-way player will not pitch this year as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, but as a designated hitter he has hit 41 home runs and stolen 40 bases, becoming the sixth member of Major League Baseball’s coveted 40-40 club last week.
He also has a .294 batting average for the NL West-leading Dodgers and is the favorite for a third MVP award in a season in which Dodgers fans are yearning for a World Series triumph.