"Not Satisfied as a Baseball Star?"... Ohtani Becomes a Children's Book Author

Co-authored a Children's Book Starring His Pet Dog
Proceeds from Book Sales to Be Donated to Animal Protection Organizations

Shohei Ohtani, the superstar of the LA Dodgers who plays as both a pitcher and a hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB), has now transformed into a children's book author.

On July 18 (Korean time), MLB.com reported, "It seems Ohtani is not satisfied with just rewriting baseball records," adding, "He has written a children's book featuring his pet dog as the main character." The book is scheduled to be published in February 2026.

Shohei Ohtani and his pet dog Decoy Photo by Yonhap News

Ohtani participated as a co-author of the children's book, with his pet dog Decoy as the main character. The title is 'Decoy saves opening day.'

Decoy has enjoyed tremendous popularity since first coming into the spotlight when Ohtani won the regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last year. In January, Decoy even received a special visa with a fake passport number as a gift from the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

The children's book is known to be based on Ohtani's real-life experiences. On August 30 of last year, Ohtani and his dog Decoy threw the ceremonial first pitch together at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, during an MLB game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Otani revealed a fairy tale book through his social networking service (SNS)
[Image source=Photo by Shohei Otani Instagram capture]

At that time, Decoy wore a uniform with Ohtani's number 17 and went up to the mound. Ohtani, who was in charge of the ceremonial first pitch, placed the ball on the mound and sat in the catcher's position, while Decoy picked up the ball and ran to Ohtani, creating a memorable moment.

This book appears to reconstruct that experience. In the story, the setting is changed to Opening Day. It depicts Decoy, who left the lucky baseball at home, searching for the ball and returning to the stadium in time.

According to the publisher, Ohtani plans to donate the proceeds from book sales to organizations that protect abandoned animals.