LOS ANGELES (AP) — Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani led off the second Nobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium with a home run, moments after the player and his dog, Decoy, threw the ceremonial first pitch.
Ohtani hit his 42nd home run of the season on Wednesday night, driving in a 1-2 pitch from Baltimore’s Corbin Barnes to right-center field. He was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases.
“I think I was more nervous than Decoy during the ceremonial pitch,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I’m glad it all went well.”
The second Ohtani bobblehead giveaway was just as popular as the first.
Or, as Yogi Berra would say, “Deja vu all over again.”
Long lines of cars formed on roads surrounding the stadium five hours before the team was set to host the Orioles on Wednesday night.
There were no traffic controllers near the stadium gates, forcing some drivers to drive on the wrong side of the road to get through closed intersections.
“I’m just happy we got here,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “It took us ages to get into Dodger Stadium. I actually picked up one of the Dodgers. She was having trouble getting up the hill, so I picked her up and gave her a ride.”
The bobblehead, depicting a smiling Ohtani holding a decoy (known as a “dekopin” in Japanese), was only available to the first 40,000 fans, including a random selection of gold versions. The memorabilia quickly found its way onto eBay, where prices appeared to be much lower than the bobblehead first sold in May.
“Wow, there’s a high demand for these bobbleheads,” Roberts said.
Ohtani carried a decoy to the mound to throw the first pitch. The decoy placed the ball on the rubber and took a catching stance behind home plate. When Ohtani gave the signal, the Dutchman Kooikerhondje put on his uniform and He carried the ball in his mouth to Ohtani..
He said it took three weeks to train the dog, who appeared calm in front of a sellout crowd of 53,290. They gave him a practice run at the stadium before the big event.
As the crowd cheered enthusiastically, Ohtani had a big smile on his face and the two held hands and exchanged high-fives.
“I was impressed that the dog was already that well trained, but I guess with Shohei’s dog it’s not surprising,” Roberts said.
The fans, many of them Japanese, lined up quite a distance from the main gate and patiently waited under the hot sun for the venue to open.
The first Ohtani bobblehead giveaway in May, which depicted the player in a batting stance, drew a sold-out crowd of 53,527 fans, the biggest in MLB this season and the largest attendance at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 20, 2019. The promotion caused traffic gridlock in the hours before games.
Ohtani walked, popped out and struck out in a 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds that night.
The Dodgers are planning another giveaway to celebrate two-way superstar Ohtani’s first season in Los Angeles after six years in Anaheim with the Angels: a shirt giveaway in a September promotion. The team gave away hats in July.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers in December, signing a 10-year contract worth $700 million. Last week, he became the fastest player in major league history and just the sixth player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season, all in the same game.
He is now aiming to reach the unprecedented milestone of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Roberts said he remains surprised by the excitement surrounding Ohtani.
“Day in and day out he’s a player who just wants to play,” the manager said, “but to see him impact the team and make the difference he has made, I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s unbelievable.”
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