Shohei Ohtani Reveals Motivation to Write Children's Book

The cover of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's book, "Decoy Saves Opening Day" | HarperCollins Publishers

Shohei Ohtani officially is an author with his children's book, "Decoy Saves Opening Day," having released this past Tuesday.

Michael Blank is co-author of the book along with Ohtani, and illustrations were done by famed artist Fanny Liem. HarperCollins Publishers is the publisher of Ohtani's book.

Proceeds from sales support non-profit animal rescue organizations that help animals find forever homes. Last year, Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko, launched the Shohei Ohtani Family Foundation.

"Our mission is to create healthier, happier communities by funding initiatives that inspire children to stay active and live well, and by supporting programs that rescue, protect, and care for animals in need," the foundation says in a mission statement.

To celebrate the release of his book, Ohtani posted photos on Instagram of himself sitting down with the book open and Decoy and his daughter seated between his legs.

"Decoy and my first children’s book is out today! We can’t wait for you to read it.🐶" he wrote in the caption.

Shohei Ohtani explains why he wrote a book

Ohtani already has accomplished plenty in what's sure to be a Hall of Fame career, but parenthood is still somewhat of a new journey. He explained in an interview with NBC News that becoming a father was the genesis behind wanting to write a book for children.

“The initial idea was, basically, I had my daughter coming soon. So timing-wise, I felt it was a nice time to maybe be able to read her a book about my story, as well as our dog Decoy’s story.”

Ohtani and Mamiko welcomed their daughter in April 2025. They have kept her name private and also not shared any clear photos to further protect her identity.

The story of Ohtani's book is about Decoy being tasked with throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day. He forgets his lucky baseball at home and has to retrieve it before it’s too late. It's a seemingly a play on Decoy famously delivering the first pitch at Dodger Stadium during the 2024 season.

He patiently waited on the mound with a baseball set in front of him until Ohtani went into a crouch behind home plate and gave a command. Decoy at that point picked up the baseball and jogged home to deliver it to Ohtani, much to the delight of the crowd.

Ohtani said it took a couple weeks to train Decoy for the first pitch.