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Shohei Ohtani’s victory in clinching his second consecutive National League MVP award on Thursday came as no shock to baseball enthusiasts.
After returning to the pitching mound following elbow surgery in 2024, Ohtani continued to mesmerize fans and analysts alike as baseball’s extraordinary two-way player. He played a pivotal role in leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to their second straight World Series championship. Ohtani not only topped the league in bases, runs, and extra-base hits but also boasted an impressive 2.87 ERA over 14 games—his second-best career performance.
This outstanding season earned Ohtani unanimous acclaim from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, securing all 30 votes for the fourth time in five years, a streak that began during his days with the American League’s Los Angeles Angels. At 31, Ohtani is entering his ninth MLB season, trailing only behind Barry Bonds, who has a record seven MVP awards.
In a segment aired on MLB Network, Ohtani accepted the prestigious accolade via satellite. He was seen sitting on a couch with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, and their dog, sharing an affectionate moment. The affectionate scene included a kiss, but it was humorously directed at his dog rather than his wife, the mother of their baby daughter.
Fans took to social media platform X to share their amusement, with one remarking, “Ohtani hugging his wife while kissing his dog, lol.”
Many fans were surprised to see Ohtani rush to kiss his dog, Decoy, rather than his wife
Ohtani, Decoy and Mamiko Tanaka sit on a couch as he learns he’s won another MVP award
This reaction was not uncommon.
‘Lol at Ohtani kissing his dog and not his wife,’ another added.
One fan joked: ‘Ohtani reaches for his wife, but kisses… the dog.’
A supporter of the rival Padres then added: ‘I knew that marriage was just for publicity.’
Ohtani’s dog has now been part of two World Series celebrations and was recently seen aboard a double-decker bus with baseball’s biggest superstar and his basketball player wife during the Dodgers’ championship parade.
Known in Ohtani’s native Japanese a ‘Dekopin,’ which refers to the action of flicking someone’s forehead, the Dutch Kooikerhondje’s English name is ‘Decoy.’
And while Decoy is popular with fans, many felt Ohtani was rude for kissing the pooch and not his wife.
‘Ohtani is a real a**hole,’ a gravely serious fan responded. ‘Wins MVP and kisses the dog before his wife. I’d divorce him and take him for a ride.’
Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers walks with his dog Decoy and his wife Mamiko Tanaka in 2024
But Ohtani may have his reasons for showing more affection to Decoy than Tanaka. According to several travel publications, public displays of affection are frowned upon in Japan.
‘As a foreigner, you probably won’t get told off for a quick peck, but you might get some dirty looks,’ read a piece on the subject from Islands.com. ‘In order to be respectful of the people around you, you should probably keep your PDA to a minimum.’
A similar piece from JapanToday.com noted in ‘Japan, you’re not likely to see too much public smooching.’
As for the kissing of dogs, that’s more of a case-by-case basis. But like many other places, Japan’s dogs are often considered part of the family, according to a 2012 piece from The Guardian, which claimed the country has ‘arguably the world’s most pampered pooches.’
As for the reason Ohtani was kissing his dog, the left-handed slugging and right-handed pitching All-Star belted 55 home runs in 2025 to set a new career high for himself. And in addition to leading baseball with a .622 slugging percentage, he also boasted a 179 OPS+, meaning he was 79 percent more valuable on offense than the average MLB hitter in 2025.
And unlike 2025, Ohtani should be able to enter the 2026 season as both a pitcher and designated hitter.