On Saturday, Shohei Ohtani made history when he announced on social media that he would be inking a record $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Since then, Ohtani has stayed in the headlines — first due to the news that his contract would include an unprecedented amount of deferrals, and again on Thursday when he was officially introduced at Dodger Stadium.
Among other answers the two-way star gave, he revealed the answer to a question that had long stumped MLB fans: What’s the name of his dog?
Ohtani’s pup is far from a new figure, having made headlines for his TV appearance during his owner’s MVP crowning, but his name had remained a mystery.
Several theories had been floated, including speculation that the dog’s name would be a hint for the team Ohtani would choose in his highly anticipated free agency. Soon after he signed, Ohtani’s new teammate, Walker Buehler, got in on the act with a few musings of his own.
So his dog was named Dodger after all?
— Walker Buehler (@buehlersdayoff) December 9, 2023
Thursday, though, Ohtani revealed that his dog’s name isn’t related to a team or baseball at all.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the name of Shohei Ohtani’s dog…
DECOY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JnTY64AKLZ
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) December 14, 2023
Decoy is actually one of two names for Ohtani’s pup. He also has a Japanese name: Dekopin.
“I figured [Dekopin] would be hard for American people to pronounce it,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Regardless of Decoy’s name, Dodgers fans will doubtless remain excited to welcome Ohtani — and his dog — to their side of the City of Angels.