Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani reveals dog's name, settling biggest mystery of MLB offseason

Updated Dec. 15, 2023 4:37 a.m. ET

The biggest mystery of the MLB offseason has been solved.

We now know the name of Shohei Ohtani's dog: "Decoy."

Well, kind of. The dog's name is "Dekopin," which is a Japanese verb for flicking someone lightly on the forehead. But Ohtani gave his dog another name that's easier to pronounce in English — Decoy — all of which he revealed Thursday during his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani, of course, is just a few days removed from signing an unprecedented 10-year, $700 million contract — with $680 million deferred until after its end — with the Dodgers.

His dog's name is especially fitting given how much intrigue surrounded Ohtani's dog and its name upon appearing next to the two-way star during the remote presentation of the 2023 American League MVP award last month.

Then, as Ohtani's historic free agency unfolded amid a veil of secrecy, Meadowlark Media relayed a rumor that the dog's name was being kept under wraps because it might reveal what team he is leaning toward signing with.

It turns out the dog's name was just a massive, well, decoy.

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