In the center of baseball’s massive fandom remains the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani. Arguably the greatest player of his generation, Ohtani proves fame is contagious. Everything in his contact becomes a huge deal as proven by his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, and pet Decoy. While Decoy recently received his baseball card, Mizuhara-san had already done this five years ago! 

Ippei Mizuhara is possibly the most popular interpreter all across the sports. It’s impossible to separate him from Shohei Ohtani. Due to Mizuhara’s increasingly iconic status with baseball fans, it’s no surprise that he has his own card. But what’s funny are the things written on it and the reaction that players had to it at that time.

When the interpreter of Shohei Ohtani got his rookie card

Five years ago, Ippei Mizuhara got one of the greatest gifts of all time – his baseball card! It was right after Shohei Ohtani won the AL Rookie of the Year in April 2018. While Mizuhara looks amazed at this, Ohtani’s former LA Angels teammates had a blast with Mike Trout in particular, enjoying the card’s content.

Though Mizuhara-san getting a card is wonderful by itself, the thing that makes it hilarious is the description on the card, as well as Trout’s reaction to it. There was a line in that card that said, “Gets his hair cut once a month”, while Trout noticed Mizuhara’s hair in the picture and remarked, “Did you see Ippei’s hair? That is terrible! That’s good flow!”

Though the cards are a little difficult to find now, there’s little doubt that collectors would love to get a hold of them. Especially now that Ohtani and Mizuhara’s popularity is at an all-time high. With Ohtani winning his second unanimous MVP award and celebrating it with his pet Decoy – the “most valuable puppy”, things have taken a rather interesting turn for the little good boy.

Watch This Story: Breaking Down The Details Of Ippei Mizuhara: The Bridge Between The Japanese Phenom Shohei Ohtani And America

As it stands, Ohtani’s golden touch has found its next beneficiary as Decoy has taken the world by storm.

Decoy’s growing popularity 

Shohei Ohtani’s pet came into the limelight after Ohtani celebrated his MVP win with him. With the pet immediately winning everyone’s hearts, Toppo struck while the iron was hot and released a baseball card for the “most valuable puppy”. 

Then, speculations emerged about the name of Ohtani’s pet. There were many guesses with “Malort” gaining a lot of traction, yet doubts remained. During Ohtani’s introductory conference for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the superstar himself revealed that America’s favorite good boy’s name was Decoy. 

Now as Decoy becomes a viral sensation, fans hope that they’ll get to see more of him. At the same time, Mizuhara-san remains a forever-loved figure for nearly every baseball fan.

Read more: More Than Just an Interpreter: Ippei Mizuhara’s Pivotal Role in Shohei Ohtani’s Phenomenal Career