Baseball’s Gone to the Dogs as ‘Decoy’ Delivers First Pitch

It’s not every day one sees a first “pitch” in a MLB game.

But that is exactly what happened Wednesday night when Shohei Ohtani’s dog Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, per NBC News.

The Dutch Kooikerhondje, clad in his own Dodger jersey, ran from the pitcher’s mound with the ball in his mouth to Ohtani as he waited behind home plate.

The feat was then celebrated with a high-five between Ohtani and Decoy.

The “first-pitch” marvel was just one highlight of the evening as fans rushed to get a new Ohtani bobblehead of the MVP pitcher and his dog.

It appears practice makes perfect execution as Ohtani said in a post-game interview that it took him three weeks to train Decoy to do the pitch.

“I think I was more nervous for the ceremonial pitch than Decoy,” Ohtani said. “But I’m glad everything went well.”

The superstar pitcher shine in the game, too, as he hit his 42nd home run of the season at his first at-bat.

The Dodgers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-4.

Although Ohtani excels as a hitter and pitcher, he will only be hitting this season as he continues to heal from his second elbow surgery.