It was Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Dodgers face off against the Baltimore Orioles. Fans understandably went crazy for the bobblehead of Ohtani with his dog Decoy, lining up all day to try and be one of the first 40,000 fans in the park and get one of the coveted giveaways.
While any piece of Ohtani merchandise is a must-have for any baseball memorabilia enthusiast, at least one lucky fan came away with a truly special item: A gold version of the bobblehead featuring Ohtani and Decoy.
Someone has pulled a gold Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead during the giveaway at Dodger Stadium tonight
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— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2024
According to the Dodgers, a limited amount of gold bobbleheads were mixed in with the 40,000 available to fans. However, the first gold version of the bobblehead was of course given to Ohtani himself, who arrived to the ballpark with his beloved Decoy.
The first gold bobblehead goes to Shohei and Decoy.
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— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 28, 2024
Gold versions of the bobblehead have already begun popping up on eBay. Where the bidding has begun is truly shocking.
Didn’t get your Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead?
eBay is full of them with prices up to $5,000
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— Maren Angus-Coombs (@Maren_Angus) August 29, 2024
If it was not already obvious, Dodgers fans absolutely adore Ohtani and are clearly willing to do whatever it takes to show their support for him and take home some of his merchandise.
In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani has shown that he is more-than deserving of all of the adoration he has received from fans around the world. Despite not being able to pitch as he rehabs an elbow injury, Ohtani has shown that he is still one of, if not the best hitter on the planet. The Japanese slugger is leading the National League with a .614 SLG, .994 OPS, 175 OPS+, 314 total bases, 41 home runs and 101 runs.
Ohtani also became the first player in Dodgers history to join the 40/40 club, hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases. Ohtani is looking to make more history by becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win MVP.
With the Dodgers having been decimated by injuries this season throughout their lineup and pitching staff, they have needed Ohtani’s performance in order to keep pace in the very competitive NL West. The Dodgers have just a three game lead over the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks after a scorching hot stretch of play from their division rivals.
There is not much that Ohtani can’t do, and there probably is not anyone else in Major League history more worthy of a gold bobblehead like the one a few lucky fans got on Wednesday.
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