Shohei Ohtani’s dog decided not to stick around for his owner’s third unanimous MVP Award ceremony as he suddenly bolted from the presentation.
While Ohtani was, obviously, the focus of the award presentation, the spotlight was stolen by his dog Decoy. Shohei’s Dodgers teammate Clayton Kershaw made the announcement that Ohtani was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 2024. But as soon as Ohtani acknowledged the moment with polite applause, Decoy took the opportunity to bolt from the couch, leaping out of frame and leaving his famous owner with a comically stunned look on his face, per MLB Network on X.
2014 NL MVP Clayton Kershaw announces that Shohei Ohtani is this year's NL Most Valuable Player! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/bmjHTZE8Cv
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 21, 2024
Decoy was first introduced to the world during Ohtani’s 2023 MVP acceptance ceremony. Shohei was presented with the award for his stellar work on a less-than-competitive Angels team. The pup sat next to his person during the presentation and instantly won over fans around the globe. However, rewatching the ceremony, you can see that Decoy was contemplating making a run for it even back then. Ultimately he was unable to execute an early exit as Ohtani never took his hands off the good boy.
Shohei and Decoy Ohtani had an unforgettable debut season with the Dodgers
It was a big year for Decoy as well. The pup was the talk of All-Star Week when Ohtani revealed Decoy’s likeness on his jacket lining. The Dodgers also hosted a Shohei and Decoy Ohtani bobblehead night as the team gave away 40,000 figurines featuring the player and his dog. And, fittingly, Decoy threw out the first pitch of his bobblehead night in one of 2024’s most memorable moments.
