Shohei Ohtani has done it—he has won the National League MVP award. It is the LA Dodgers star’s third career MVP award, and this time, he’s dominating the National League scene. Ohtani won unanimously (no surprise there) and edged out his competitors like Francisco Lindor from the New York Mets and Ketel Marte from the Arizona Diamondbacks. But while Ohtani may be used to award-winning right now, this is a rather special award—it’s his first NL MVP award!

Earlier, Ohtani grabbed two in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels. But here is the real kicker—Shohei Ohtani won purely by the power of his bat this season. Even though he is known to be a two-way miracle player, he created magic as a designated hitter and crushed it on the plate, all while rehabbing his elbow. Talk about making the most of the challenge! However, while no one in NL could steal Ohtani’s thunder, his pup Decoy ensured the spotlight was on him.

Decoy steals the moment from Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani’s MVP moment wasn’t just iconic—it was just adorable! He was sitting on a couch with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who is hardly seen in public. Attending the event with his ‘hooman’, there was another Ohtani family member: Decoy. As they waited patiently for the announcement to be made, with teammate Clayton Kershaw revealing Ohtani’s win, Decoy made a big move. He leaped off the sofa and out of the camera. as if to say, “That’s it; I was here just to listen to this segment; I am off.” And Ohtani’s reaction to his excitement was just priceless!

While Mamiko and Shohei were spotted just clapping, Decoy, without a bother, was on his way out. However, this is a special moment—marking Shohei Ohtani’s third award. By clinching this honor, Ohtani also joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only player to win MVP in both leagues—Robinson had done it with the Reds in 1961 and the Orioles in 1966. However, many fans online seemed to be somehow more thrilled about Decoy than with Ohtani’s win.

Fans react to Ohtani winning the MVP award yet again! 

One user on Instagram said, “Decoy a Lindor fan.” Well, Decoy is surely all about Ohtani, but well, fans’ sentiments about Francisco Lindor can be understood. Lindor was in the run for the MVP, and it looked like he would win given his outstanding defense and clutch performances this season. Despite coming from a back injury, he led the Mets to a wild-card berth and NCLS.

Another fan echoed a similar take, playfully remarking, “Decoy had money on Lindor.” Well, Lindor was overlooked by the Baseball Writers Association of America, probably because Ohtani got all 30 votes for first place and Lindor got 23 out of 30 for second place votes. So, no matter the accolades of Lindor this season, Ohtani had this right unanimously!

One Freddie fan dropped in the comments, claiming, “He said he shouldn’t have won. I wanted Freeman.” That’s not a surprise—after all, Freddie Freeman just rocked this year through his battles—physically, emotionally, and mentally. Still, he prevailed, thanks to his resilience, although Freeman himself likes to thank his father for all that he has. But for many, Freddie is already the winner of the season.

An optimistic Ohtani fan noted, “Decoy getting ready for the 2025 run 💙” Well, if sources are to be believed, Shohei Ohtani should be ready to be himself—a two-way player in the upcoming season. He can hit and pitch, but given he was injured recently during the World Series, it remains unclear when that will happen. However, pitch or not, Decoy’s dad will be taking on the new year afresh.

Another user wrote, “Decoy gonna pop some bottles tonight.” Given how Decoy has a father who made baseball history again, they will probably celebrate big time. While it can be a champagne shower for Ohtani, it can be some extra treats for Decoy. This year has been special for the Ohtani household; Shohei Ohtani was able to do what no baseball player ever did before. He clinched the 50-50 like it was a piece of cake, and now, yet another achievement to add to his growing list.

Did you guess Shohei would win, or were you rooting for some other star? Let us know in the comments.