Having trained his cat, Hadji, Keith Hernandez struggled to comprehend how Shohei Ohtani’s dog could throw out a first pitch.
Ohtani can do it all. He can pitch (when healthy), hit for power and average, steal bases, cook, and even train his dog, Decoy, to throw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. Amazing.
Earlier this week, Ohtani carried his pup, wearing a custom Dodgers jersey, to the pitcher’s mound, where Decoy picked up the baseball and ran it back to Ohtani, who was waiting behind the plate. And by the way, Ohtani also hit a homer and stole two bases to become the second 42/42 player in MLB history.
Thursday afternoon, New York Mets play-by-play voice Gary Cohen recalled Ohtani’s big night, telling Hernandez that Decoy’s performance was the game’s most impressive feat. And upon learning about Decoy’s first pitch, Hernandez looked absolutely baffled.
The look on Keith Hernandez’s face… pic.twitter.com/rZ9qMQszbw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 30, 2024
“The most important thing about Ohtani last night was not the home run or the stolen bases, it was his dog,” Cohen said. “His dog, whose name is [Decoy], threw out the first pitch on Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night.”
Hernandez, meanwhile, just stared at Cohen, seemingly confused by the Decoy’s trick. It was the kind of stare you might receive from a parent or grandparent after attempting to teach them how to watch a baseball game on Apple TV+. Hadji might be able to do a lot of things, but apparently, throwing out the first pitch isn’t one of them.
Cohen then explained how Decoy was able to pull off the seemingly impossible feat for a dog, prompting Hernandez to say, “Okay, Hollywood…Hurray for Hollywood.”
I don’t know whether he was stunned or disgusted, but Hernandez did not say another word for the rest of the inning.
[SNY]