The devotion of two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani to his cat, whom he affectionately refers to as “Decoy,” is palpable. Plus, he has documented some adorable moments with him, so it’s clear they’re having fun together.

Olympic gold medalist and Japanese swimmer Daiya Seto recently revealed a touching story about his best buddy Shohei Ohtani and their initial encounter with “Decoy” in 2018.

He brought up the fact that Ohtani thought he was adorable the first time they met at the pet store, and he went on to sаy that he wouldn’t tie the knot with him:

“The other day Shohei told me he found a baby Dobermann at a pet store in LA and he was almost getting it because it is too cute,” said Seto. “But Sho said, ‘If I get him, I think I’ll never get married.'”

The superstar from the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the nаme of his dog after signing a record-breаking seven-figure contract:

“Dekopin is his nаme. The nаme is of Japanese origin. I anticipated that Americans would find it challenging to pronounce. “He goes by Decoy in America,” Ohtani remarked.

The Japanese word “Dekopin” literally translates to “flicking one’s forehead.”

Ohtani previously told the NHK that he and Decoy share a lot of routine, from getting up in the morning to eating dinner and going to bed at the same time.

My first encounter with Shohei Ohtani’s canine

It was during the 2023 AL MVP announcement that Shohei Ohtani’s pet initially gained attention. Fans were left in amazement of the pet’s abilities as the video of the two of them celebrating Ohtani’s MVP with a high-five went viral.

As always, the 2023 campaign was a banner year for the Japanese sensation. With a.304/.412/.654 batting line, he was unanimously named the AL MVP. A total of 152 hits, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 102 runs scored were his stats in 135 games. He had 23 appearances as a starting pitcher, going 132.0 innings while striking out 167 batters and posting a 10-5 record. His ERA was 3.14.

This summer, he inked a record-breаking multi-year deal with the Dodgers. And just when things were about to calm down, his team brought on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a fellow countryman, to a 12-year, $325 million contract with a $50 million signing bonus.

With a supertea in hand, he is now waiting for postseason success.