Dodger Player Shohei Ohtani Celebrates His Beloved Dog, Decoy's 2nd Birthday

If you are a baseball fan or just a dog enthusiast, you likely know all about Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka’s furry friend, Decoy!

On May 12, Ohtani took to his Instagram account to wish his furry friend a happy birthday. The post featured several pictures of the very good boy. 

In the caption of the post, the baseball player noted that his famous canine companion is now 2 years old. 

Fans of Decoy will remember that he “threw out” the first pitch for the August 28 game last season. Shohei carried his canine companion onto the pitching mound, much to the delight of the spectators. Once on the mound, Decoy grabbed the baseball that had been placed next to him and ran to home base. After such an incredible pitch, Decoy and a smiling Shohei celebrated by high-fiving.

Some Dodger enthusiasts may not be aware that Decoy’s given name is Dekopin. 

“So his name is Dekopin. That’s a Japanese name. I figured that it would be hard for American people to pronounce it, so he has an American name and it’s Decoy,” said Shohei during a December 2023 interview with  MLB.com.

According to Kyodo News, Dekopin is “the Japanese word for flicking someone's forehead.”