Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series

Shohei Ohtani's dog, Decoy, made an quality astatine nan World Series triumph parade

NEW YORK -- As Los Angeles Dodgers fans thronged to the World Series triumph parade successful Los Angeles connected Friday, galore had their eyes connected most valuable subordinate Freddie Freeman. But successful nan operation was different MVP — nan Dodgers' astir valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, canine of Shohei.

The much-memed Decoy, a Nederlanse kooikerhondje, aliases Dutch kooikerhondje, was nestled successful Ohtani's arms connected nan apical conception of a double-decker parade bus.

Decoy has go a fixture of Dodgers — and canine — fandom. The pup was on Ohtani’s lap erstwhile he learned he was nan first Major League Baseball subordinate ever to beryllium unanimously selected twice arsenic Most Valuable Player, which he achieved while pinch nan Los Angeles Angels.

Decoy besides featured successful Ohtani’s post-victory Instagram post, pinch photos of nan canine being taken for a locomotion amid autumnal foliage and looking groggy successful furniture conscionable aft images of nan Dodgers’ champagne celebration.

After Ohtani went connected to sign a grounds $700 million, 10-year deal pinch nan Dodgers, immoderate of nan first questions that reporters had for him were astir nan dog. At a news conference, nan Japanese-born Ohtani revealed his pet's sanction — successful Japanese, Dekopin, but he suggested that Decoy would beryllium easier for Americans to pronounce.

It's besides a fitting sanction for a personnel of this Dutch duck-hunting breed. Indeed, nan English connection “decoy” is thought to travel from nan Dutch word “de kooi,” which intends “the cage.”

The Nederlandse kooikerhondje (pronounced NAY’-dehr-lahn-seh KOY’-kehr-hahnd-jeh) was initially trained to get ducks' attraction and past lure them into net-covered canals for hunters to catch. Take a look astatine galore a Dutch Old Master painting, and if you spot a smallish, brownish and white, spaniel-like canine pinch agelong ears, you've astir apt seen an ancestor of today's kooikerhondje.

Owners opportunity nan breed is lively and clever.

Clever capable to, for instance, carry retired nan ceremonial first pitch successful beforehand of astir 54,000 people, as Decoy did astatine a Dodgers-Orioles crippled successful August.

Decoy's image mightiness not beryllium hanging connected a depository wall, but he's been immortalized successful an Ohtani bobblehead. The pooch besides got a special, supersized “visa” during a sojourn to nan U.S. Embassy successful Tokyo past winter.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb