Behind Shohei Ohtani’s free agency destination, the second most covered MLB news story of the offseason was the name of the two-time MVP’s dog.
Ohtani and his representatives refused to reveal the dog’s name after he got it earlier this year. And MLB pundits speculated it could be because he had named the animal something related to his preferred team, like “Dodger.”
During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Ohtani finally gave up the goods on the dog’s name. But it was not anything related to the Dodgers or Los Angeles like baseball’s conspiracy theorists had hoped.
Instead, the English name for the dog represents exactly what it became for insiders trying to get a news nugget on the Ohtani sweepstakes: Decoy.
Shohei Ohtani — answering the important questions — finally reveals the name of his dog. ⚾️🐶
(Via @FOXLA) pic.twitter.com/4nECxlAbPX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 15, 2023
Ohtani explained that the reason he held the name close to the vest is because he simply didn’t expect American fans to be able to pronounce it correctly. Come on, man.
So while insiders attempted to track his flight patterns, media personalities opined on the cultural differences between he and American fans, and several fanbases rioted, Ohtani’s dog remained a secret. And in the end, Decoy’s name was hardly the juicy detail that some hoped.
Now everyone can move on to questioning MLB’s contract rules and continuing to hate the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Frankly, Ohtani’s free agency featuring so many gaffes and subplots is a perfect start to his Dodgers era. Ohtani can and should be one of the most hyped talents in all of sports, and this could be just the beginning despite him being an MLB veteran.
Just don’t expect to get any details the next time he gets a pet.
