LOS ANGELES — The viral first pitch between Shohei Ohtani and his now-famous dog, Decoy, didn’t happen overnight. It took work.

Ohtani had spent the past three weeks training his Dutch Kooikerhondje to wait on the pitcher’s mound until he crouched behind home plate, then pick up the baseball in his mouth and sprint toward him on command, at one point even doing a test run at Dodger Stadium. It was what Ohtani called “a fun exercise.”

He then watched Decoy execute it perfectly for Wednesday’s game, culminating in a high-five. It was the highlight of a game that saw Ohtani hit a home run and steal two bases in the Dodgers’ 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles before a sellout crowd of 53,290, the vast majority of whom arrived extremely early to get their hands on an Ohtani-Decoy bobblehead.

“It’s a very special night,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, referring to Decoy’s theatrics. “I hope to buy him a special snack.”

The Dodgers had announced that the first 40,000 fans — in a stadium that this year held more than 54,000 — would receive a bobblehead of Ohtani with Decoy, who has built a cult following over the past nine months. About 2,000 of those bobbleheads would be gold, further increasing the demand — not to mention the value.

The first golden bobblehead goes to Shohei and Decoy. 🤩 photo.twitter.com/lpziRN9d8X

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 28, 2024

Excitement level for Shohei and Decoy. 📈 photo.twitter.com/54viWyFYBY

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 29, 2024

Fans responded in kind. They were lining up outside the stadium as early as 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, 10 a.m. for first pitch. By 2:30 a.m., the line had grown so long, and the demand for entry so great, that the parking gates had to open nearly two hours earlier than normal for first pitch at 7:10 a.m.

An hour later, tens of thousands of them were waiting outside the gates. They were allowed in at 4:30, 40 minutes earlier than normal, and got the rare chance to see Ohtani throw a bullpen session by filling the edges of the left-field bleachers.

“I was surprised when I came to the park with my family,” Ohtani said. “I wasn’t really aware of this situation; I thought there was some other special event going on.”

Ohtani drew thunderous applause when he led off the first inning and hit his 42nd home run, despite being way ahead of a slider by Corbin Burnes. He added a single in the third and stole third for his 41st steal. He connected for another fielder’s choice in the fifth and collected stolen base No. 42, putting himself back on track to become the first 50-50 player in baseball history.

It wasn’t enough to surpass Decoy.

“I heard Decoy was going to throw the first pitch, and I’m impressed that the dog was trained to do that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think if it’s Shohei’s dog, there shouldn’t be anything surprising.”

Decoy first gained international fame last November, when Ohtani introduced him to the world during the MVP announcement on MLB Network. His name was speculated by media in Japan for the next month until Ohtani revealed it during his opening press conference at Dodger Stadium in December. Since then, he has ordered Decoy a fake passport, worn a picture of him in his suit to the red carpet event at the All-Star Game, and had his cleats emblazoned with Decoy’s likeness during Players’ Weekend.

On Wednesday, Ohtani played one of the most memorable games of his Major League career with him.

“Overall,” Ohtani said, “I had a really good night.”