Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar continues to make headlines with his incredible talent on the baseball field but this time he finds himself overshadowed by his beloved Dutch kooikerhondje, who has a habit of stealing the limelight from his famous owner.
The Japanese sensation has been named Most Valuable Player three times so far in his exceptional career in the big leagues but the true MVP on February 15 was his dog, Decoy, who grabbed attention again when Ohtani shared photos of his pet amid the Dodgers‘ spring training.
While seemingly on a break from on-field activities, the 30-year-old offered a glimpse of his life with Decoy, who was present when the household learned that Shohei won the 2024 National League MVP award, just after winning the World Series.
Decoy looking very interested in his owner in photos to Instagram and the post has garnered over 670,000 likes, with several fans commenting about how adorable he is as he becomes the star of the show on social media.
One user commented, “So cute! I need to pet decoy.”
A second added, “Good morning Decoy It’s Sunday morning in Japan. Have a great time with your family, see you soon!”
And a third wrote, “Our beloved king decoy.”
Will Ohtani pitch in 2025?
Coming off a successful first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani will look to be an even bigger contributor for Los Angeles, as he appears to be on track to make a return to pitching duties in 2025, after elbow surgery cut the two-way player’s role in half in 2024.
However, even if he feels like he’s close to pitching then it isn’t a priority for the Dodgers to rush him back into the role thanks to a vast range of talent on the mount, something the organization’s coaching staff are well aware of.
In fact, Dave Roberts already knows he can depend on his arsenal because Ohtani never threw a single ball throughout the entire 2024 season yet they still won the World Series 4-1 against the New York Yankees.
So even if Ohtani can’t pitch for a while, fans should still expect to see him in the batting box once again in Japan when their season officially kicks off against the Chicago Cubs on March 18.
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