Shohei Ohtani Announces Exciting New Project Involving His Beloved Dog, Decoy

Dodger player Shohei Ohtani announced an exciting new project involving his beloved dog, Decoy. 

On July 17, Ohtani took to Instagram to share that Harper Collins is releasing a children’s book about his sweet pup, titled Decoy Saves Opening Day. The book is co-authored by Ohtani and Michael Blank. The illustrations are by Fanny Liem. 

The book will be released in February 2026. 

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.”