The book is inspired by Ohtani's dog, Decoy, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game at Dodgers Stadium in August of 2024.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is adding to his multihyphenate reputation by co-authoring a children's book about his dog Decoy. On Thursday, Ohtani revealed the cover for "Decoy Saves Opening Day," a book that also credits co-author Michael Blank and illustrator Fanny Liem.

Shohei Ohtani is already well-known as a pitcher and a slugger. The Dodgers superstar has recently taken on another role: children’s book author. Ohtani’s dog, Decoy, is already known as the cutest Nederlandse Kooikerhondje on the planet (and quite possibly the only one to be immortalized in bobblehead form ).