Shohei Ohtani and His Dog Go Viral Yet Again After Ohtani Collects MVP Award
Now-former Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani collected his American League MVP Award on Saturday night at the Baseball Writers of America awards banquet in New York.
Afterwards, Ohtani and his dog, Decoy, went viral yet again for a picture posted on social media:
We first met Decoy back when it was announced that Ohtani would be receiving the award earlier this offseason, but his name became a big mystery. Once Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the name became revealed.
From an MLB.com article on the event:
“This MVP Award is very prestigious and winning this award means the world to me,” said Ohtani, whose tremendous 2023 campaign resulted in his second career American League MVP honor.
Ohtani addressed his past and also his future in the wake of his record-setting $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
“To the Angels organization -- ownership, front office and the entire staff -- thank you for the past six years,” he said. “I always appreciated your support and allowing me the opportunity to play this game I’m so passionate about. To my teammates and the coaching staff, for helping and encouraging me throughout the year: I felt your support every day.
“To the Dodgers organization for believing in me: I’m looking forward to this next phase in my career.”
The MVP Award caps off another banner year for the generational talent. Ohtani started out 2023 by helping lift Team Japan to a World Baseball Classic championship, then proceeded to win the American League MVP Award after hitting a league-best 44 homers. That was his second MVP Award in the last three years, also winning in 2021.
With Ohtani in the fold, the Dodgers are among the favorites to win the World Series in 2024. In addition to adding him, the team added Tyler Glasnow via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. They also signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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