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Los Angeles Dodgers fans love them some Shohei Ohtani. And they might love his dog, Dekopin (a.k.a. Decoy), even more.
They got plenty of both on Wednesday, with Ohtani making MLB history, catching a pitch from his dog and inspiring some of the longest lines in you will ever see at Dodger Stadium.
It wasn’t a surprise that when the Dodgers announced they would be giving away an Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead, fans started preparing — primarily by clearing their schedules to make sure they could be one of the first 40,000 fans to enter Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
By 1:22 p.m. PT — roughly six hours before first pitch, four hours before gates open and three-and-a-half hours before parking gates open — enough fans had lined up at the Sunset Boulevard Gate to wrap around the street and then some. A good chunk of them were there before 11 a.m. too.
You will not be surprised to hear the lines only got more intense as the game drew closer. By the final hour, the stadium was seeing a “waiting for water in a apocalyptic world” type of line.
It’s hard to blame fans for not wanting to leave anything to chance. With 40,000 bobbleheads available and Dodger Stadium having a capacity of 56,000, not everyone is guaranteed a souvenir.
Decoy was on hand for the proceedings, “throwing” the first pitch to his owner to raucous applause. He followed it up with a high-five for his owner, who revealed after the game that training him took three weeks.
Ohtani was less kind to the next pitcher he faced, mashing his 42nd homer of the season off Baltimore Orioles starter Corbin Burnes to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
Ohtani followed that up by taking second and third on a passed ball for his 41st and 42nd homer of the year.
That performance gave Ohtani a 42-42 season, matching Alex Rodriguez for highest total in both home runs and stolen bases in MLB history. One more homer and stolen base and Ohtani will have posted a total baseball has never seen, with a 50-50 season nearly in sight.
All of that was a big part of 6-4 win for the Dodgers, improving their record to an MLB-best 78-54.
Ohtani-Decoy bobblehead night only the latest hype
This isn’t even the first Ohtani bobblehead the Dodgers have given away this season (the other saw similar demand), but Decoy is a big draw for many fans looking for unique and adorable memorabilia.
Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, has been in the public eye since Ohtani’s MVP acceptance speech last year, and his initially unknown name became a storyline as Ohtani embarked on the most lucrative free agency in professional sports history. He finally revealed the name at his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium, and fans were quick to embrace their new furry mascot.
Those fans included the U.S. embassy in Japan.
As if the Decoy bobblehead demand weren’t enough, the Dodgers teased an even more rare (and slightly horrifying) gold variant of the figure last week.
Of course, not all of the people lining up were fans. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 80 promised bobbleheads were on sale for a fixed price at eBay, all for at least $160. Another 60 were awaiting auction.
It has been a dream first season for Ohtani in Dodger Blue — or at least as good as you can get when he isn’t able to pitch. The two-way star has responded to that limitation by expanding his offensive game even more, namely on the basepaths.
Ohtani became the sixth MLB player to enter the 40-homer, 40-stolen-base club last week and is by far the fastest to do so. As long as he stays healthy, he is on track to be the first player to post a 45-45 season and could even have a chance at a seemingly mythical 50-50 season.
The Dodgers have needed every ounce they’ve received from Ohtani, as injuries have ravaged the team on both sides of the ball. Despite those considerable obstacles, the team entered Wednesday with a 78-54 record, tied for the best in MLB, and a three-game lead in the NL West.