Shohei Ohtani has been the star of the MLB offseason, signing a massive 10-year, $700 million free agent contract. But running a close second in notoriety among fans might be Ohtani’s dog, Decoy (or “Dekopin” in Japanese), who accompanied the two-way talent while he won his second American League MVP award.
Decoy is now enjoying the perks of being an international superstar. On Thursday, Ohtani revealed that Decoy had been presented with a visa allowing him to travel between the United States and Japan. Well, sort of.
The visa is a replica and a supersized version of it was given to Ohtani (and Decoy) as a gift when he visited the U.S. embassy in Japan this week. Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, presented the giant-sized document to Ohtani and received a Dodgers jersey in return.
“Thrilled to meet trailblazing two-time MVP Ohtani-san again – my lucky day,” Emanuel wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Maybe next time I’ll be fortunate enough to meet his MVPup, Decoy. – this ‘visa’ should help.”
Shohei Ohtani posted a fake passport for his dog Decoy 😂 pic.twitter.com/H29bZXgQl5
— MLB (@MLB) January 11, 2024
Is it showtime or is it Sho-time!? Thrilled to meet trailblazing two-time @MLB MVP Ohtani-san again – my lucky day. Maybe next time I’ll be fortunate enough to meet his MVPup, Decoy – this “visa” should help? I promise my bark is worse than my bite! ⚾️🐾@Dodgers @DodgersNation pic.twitter.com/hzPZRPYnSn
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) January 11, 2024
Since Emanuel made the “MVPup” joke in his post, it’s probably worth mentioning that the passport number on Decoy’s documentation is “000MVPUP000” and his control number is “000GOODBOY000.” The visa lists Decoy’s birthday as “N/A Dog Years” and also says he has dual U.S. and Japanese citizenry.
