Shohei Ohtani (and dog) bobblehead night: Fans line up at Dodger Stadium hours before first pitch

Los Angeles Dodgers fans love them some Shohei Ohtani. They might love his dog Dekopin (a.k.a. Decoy) even more.

So it wasn’t a surprise that when the Dodgers announced they would be giving away an Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead, fans started preparing. Primarily by clearing out their schedule to make sure they are one of the first 40,000 fans to enter Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

By 1:22 p.m. PT, enough fans had lined up at the Sunset Boulevard Gate to wrap around the street and then some, roughly six hours before first pitch, four hours before gates open and three-and-a-half hours before parking gates open.

A good chunk of them were there before 11 a.m. as well.

It’s hard to blame fans for not wanting to leave anything to chance. With 40,000 bobbleheads available and Dodger Stadium having a capacity of 56,000, not everyone is guaranteed a souvenir.

This isn’t even the first Ohtani bobblehead the Dodgers have given away this season (that one saw similar demand), but Decoy is a big draw for many fans looking for unique and adorable memorabilia.

Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, has been in the public eye since Ohtani’s MVP acceptance speech last year, and even his name became a storyline as Ohtani embarked on the most lucrative free agency in professional sports history. He finally revealed the name at his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium and fans were quick to embrace their furry new mascot.

Those fans included the U.S. embassy in Japan.

As if the Decoy bobblehead demand wasn’t enough, the Dodgers teased an even more rare (and slightly horrifying) gold variant of the figure last week.

Of course, not all of those people lining up are fans. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 80 promised bobbleheads were on sale for a fixed price at eBay, all for at least $160. And another 60 were awaiting auction.

It’s been a dream first season for Ohtani in Dodger Blue, or at least as good as you can get when he is still not able to pitch. The two-star has responded to that limitation by expanding his offensive game even more, namely on the basepaths.

Ohtani became the sixth MLB player to enter the 40-homer, 40-stolen base club last week and by far the fastest to do so. As long as he stays healthy, he is on track to be the first to post a 45-45 season, and could even have a chance at a seemingly mythical 50-50 season.

The Dodgers have needed every ounce they’ve received from Ohtani, as injuries have ravaged the team on both sides of the ball. Despite those considerable obstacles, the team entered Wednesday with a 78-54 record, tied for the best in MLB, and a three-game lead in the NL West.