Ohtani's next big hit? A children's book about his dog Decoy

CNN

11 hours ago

Injuries may have prevented Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani from throwing from the mound recently, but they haven't stopped him from coming up with a new pitch: co-writing a children's book based on his baseball-fetching dog Decoy.
The three-time MVP posted a teaser on his Instagram on Thursday, featuring a picture of Decoy, a Kooikerhondje, sitting next to the fiction book that represents his first foray into the world of children's books.
Of course, it's about baseball.
The cover of 'Decoy Saves Opening Day' is adorned by a cartoon version of Decoy – with a baseball in his mouth – alongside the Japanese star donning his signature number 17 jersey at a baseball field.
In the story, Decoy is supposed to throw the first pitch to mark the opening of the new baseball season – until he finds out he's left his baseball at home, according to the website of publisher HarperCollins.
'Can he get his ball and make it back to the stadium before it's too late?' it teased.
Ohtani and his furry companion hope the book will support nonprofits helping to rehome stray and abandoned dogs, with the book to go on sale on February 3 next year, according to the website.
Ohtani co-wrote the book with Michael Blank, with illustrations by Fanny Liem.
In May, the Dodgers star returned to the mound to delight the crowd at Citi Field ahead of the Dodgers' game against the New York Mets, pitching for the first time in nearly two years.
He underwent a procedure to repair the right ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow in 2023.
During that appearance, Ohtani threw 22 pitches across five simulated plate appearances, with mostly cutters, sinkers and fastballs hovering around 94-95 mph and maxing out at 97 mph.