LOS ANGELES -- In anticipation for the bobblehead that featured Shohei Ohtani and his dog, Decoy, lines outside Dodger Stadium started to form around 5 a.m. PT.
About four hours before first pitch, there were an estimated 20,000 people already outside the ballpark. All those people were prepared to wait as long as they needed to in order to collect the one-of-a-kind promotion, which also included about 2,000 gold editions.
Once everyone in attendance had secured their giveaway, the festivities started with Decoy delivering the first pitch to Ohtani. Up to that point, that was the loudest roar of the night. That is, until Ohtani stepped into the plate in the bottom of the first inning.
Ohtani, as he usually does, didn’t make the sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium wait much longer to continue the celebration. The two-time unanimous American League Most Valuable Player launched a leadoff homer off right-hander Corbin Burnes and later added a pair of stolen bases to lead the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over the Orioles on Wednesday.
“I was surprised as well when I came to the park with my family,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, when asked about the long lines outside the stadium. “I wasn’t really aware of the situation. I thought it was some other special event going on.”
On the field, Ohtani continues to be the biggest show in town. He now has 42 homers and 42 stolen bases, putting him well on pace to become the first player ever to reach the 50-50 mark. The only other player with a 42-42 season is Alex Rodriguez, who hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases in 1998.
Ohtani now has three games with a homer and multiple stolen bases, which is tied with 12 players for third most in a single season by a player since at least 1900, behind Rickey Henderson (five in 1986) and Eric Davis (four in 1987).
“Shohei, his bobblehead night and to hit a homer and steal a couple bases,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I’m telling you, any big moment, he seems to rise up to the occasion.”
As impressive as Ohtani’s performance on the field was, Decoy’s first pitch was still the talk of the locker room after the game.
Ohtani introduced Decoy to the world while receiving his second MVP Award in November. In the span of a little less than a year, Ohtani made his dog's name a state secret of national importance, got Decoy a fake passport, wore an image of him on the inside of his suit on the All-Star red carpet and slipped into custom Decoy cleats for Players' Weekend.
Over the last three weeks, Ohtani said he has been teaching Decoy what they displayed at Dodger Stadium for Wednesday’s first pitch. The two even had a test run at Dodger Stadium prior to their bobblehead night.
“It’s a really special night,” Ohtani said. “I hope to buy some special snack for him.”
When posed the question of who had a more impressive night, Roberts, without hesitation, said Ohtani’s dog stole the show.
“I heard that Decoy was going to throw the first pitch, and I’m impressed that the dog was already that trained,” Roberts laughed. “I guess if it’s Shohei’s dog, nothing should be that surprising. That was pretty impressive.”
With Ohtani -- and Decoy -- leading the way, the Dodgers got a much-needed comeback win over the Orioles. Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run third inning and Walker Buehler, despite an uneven stat line, showed some progress over 4 2/3 innings.
“It’s one of the better offenses in baseball right now, and I felt like I had at least a fighting chance to get everybody out,” Buehler said. “It wasn't kind of like, they get themselves out. I felt like I could get guys out. And there's bits and pieces that didn't go perfectly like that, but for the most part, I felt very competitive.”