Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Becomes Eighth Member of Exclusive Club

Shohei Ohtani stole the spotlight on Wednesday in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium.

It was already his bobblehead night. After his dog, Decoy, delivered the first pitch, Ohtani had to step up during the game to earn back the attention.

Dekopin, also known as Decoy, earned the first ovation of the night when he picked up a ball in his mouth and ran to his owner who was waiting for him at home plate.

“I heard that Decoy was going to throw the first pitch and — I’m impressed that the dog was already that trained,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “I guess if it’s Shohei’s dog, nothing should be that surprising. That was pretty impressive.”

All Ohtani did was go 2-for-4 with a home run (his 42nd of the season), two steals (giving him 42 on the season) and three runs scored en route to becoming the eighth player in baseball history to have a 10-10 month.

Ohtani has 10 home runs in August to go along with his 12 stolen bases.

“I’m telling you,” Roberts said. “Any big moment, he seems to rise up to the occasion.”

Ohtani opened the scoring with a leadoff solo shot to right field in the bottom of the first, creating a magical moment for a female child in the pavilion wearing an Ohtani shirt who caught the ball.

Ohtani continued to shine in the fifth inning when he reached base on a line drive that Baltimore first baseman Ryan O’Hearn failed to catch. The designated hitter went from first to third on a stolen base and a wild pitch. He scored on a two-out error, pushing the Dodgers’ lead to two.

Seeing Ohtani come alive in recent games has been a positive sign since he began August with a two-week slump, batting a lowly .181 with seven home runs from Aug. 2-19. He is now entering September white-hot.

Ohtani’s two hits gave him his fifth multi-hit game in his last seven. It was his 10th contest of the season in which he hit a home run and stole at least one base.

Despite the performance Ohtani put on for 53,000-plus fans, Decoy was still the talk of the night after the game.

“It’s a really special night,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “I hope to buy some special snack for him.”

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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