Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani isn’t the only baseball pitcher in his home country.

On Wednesday, August 28, thousands of fans watched as Dekopin “Decoy,” Ohtani’s dog, threw a perfect first pitch to his owner for their bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium.

In a video shared by the Los Angeles Dodgers on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ohtani, 30, carries his pet as he walks onto the field to help Decoy with the dog’s first pitch.

Footage of Decoy’s first throw shows the dog retrieving the ball more than throwing it. In the clip of the pup’s throw, Decoy grabs the ball in his mouth and runs with it from the pitcher’s mound toward Ohtani, who is crouched in the batter’s box.

After the successful pitch, Decoy received a treat from his proud owner and an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience, many of whom had come to the game to receive the evening’s promotional item: a bobblehead featuring Ohtani and Decoy.

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According to the Major League Baseball website, approximately 20,000 people were waiting outside four hours before first pitch, eager to collect their free bobbleheads.

Ohtani told the newspaper through interpreter Will Ireton that he was surprised by the turnout and that he initially thought the crowd was witnessing “something special.”

According to Reuters, the statue “Shohei & Decoy” depicts Ohtani smiling while holding his Dutch Kooikerhondje.

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Decoy’s adorable first pitch seems to have worked as a lucky charm for Ohtani. The pet parent hit a leadoff home run and stole two bases in the Dodgers’ home game against the Baltimore Orioles that followed Decoy’s pitch.

The Los Angeles Dodgers eventually won the game 6-4.

“Shohei, his bobblehead night and hitting a home run and stealing a couple of bases,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told MLB. “I’m telling you, any big moment, he seems to rise to the occasion.”