For perhaps the first time in history, Shohei Ohtani was surpassed on a baseball field.

Ohtani’s beloved dog, Decoy, took the mound at Dodger Stadium to throw out the first pitch during the Dodgers star’s bobblehead night on Wednesday, August 28.

Ten hours before the first pitch, fans were already lining up outside the stadium to get their hands on a coveted bobblehead depicting Ohtani, 30, holding Decoy.

Once inside, Decoy—a Dutch Kooikerhondje—gave the nearly 54,000 fans a show. Dressed in a custom #17 Dodgers jersey matching his father, Decoy grabbed the baseball in his mouth and ran straight to Ohtani, who was crouched behind home plate playing catcher.

After successfully throwing the ball, Decoy gave Ohtani a high-five, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd.

During his post-match media appearance, Ohtani said he and Decoy had been practicing the trick for nearly three weeks, including a “test run” at the famous stadium recently.

“It’s a very special evening,” Ohtani said through an interpreter Will Ireton“I hope I can buy him a special snack.”

The first 40,000 fans through the gates were given a bobblehead, about 2,000 of which were randomly painted gold. One of the gold bobbleheads is now listed on eBay for $17,000.

According to Sports Business Magazinethe line had become so long that “parking gates had to open practically two hours earlier than normal.”

The game was such a hot ticket that the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts almost missed Decoy’s big stunt because he was stuck in traffic.

Related: Biggest celebrity dog ​​controversies: Rehoming backlash and more

Many stars have been criticized for their pet ownership, including Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and Pete Davidson. The Vanderpump Rules star and then-fiancé James Kennedy adopted their pooch Graham Cracker early in their courtship. After they split in December 2021, Leviss retained custody of the dog, but many co-stars criticized his bad behavior. “Rachel would (…)

“I’m just glad I made it,” Roberts said. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know if it was Shohei or Decoy or a combo, but there’s a lot of demand for this damn bobblehead. It took me forever to get into Dodger Stadium. There was a long line.”

Decoy has become a real celebrity since he was spotted alongside Ohtani in a video accepting the American League MVP award last year.

After being traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the Dodgers in December, Ohtani explained Decoy’s name during his press conference.

“His name is Dekopin. I think it’s hard for people here to pronounce it,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “His original name was Decoy. So when I explain it to people here, I introduce him as Decoy because it’s easier.”