BREAKING NEWS: Yamamoto’s dog “Carlos” shocks MLB by forming an unexpected friendship with Ohtani’s cardboard decoy in a hilarious twist
Sometimes baseball delivers a storyline so bizarre, so perfectly ridiculous, that it becomes an instant clubhouse legend. This week, that honor belongs to Carlos — Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s beloved dog — and Shohei Ohtani’s cardboard cutout.
What began as a harmless clubhouse joke quickly evolved into the most heart-melting, meme-generating phenomenon of the entire MLB season.
According to team staff, Carlos wandered into the clubhouse like he always does — tail wagging, eyes curious, ready to charm every human in sight. But this time, he stopped. Completely frozen. The reason? A life-size cardboard cutout of Shohei Ohtani placed near the lockers.
Most dogs bark. Others sniff. Carlos? He walked straight over and sat down as if greeting an old friend.
“He just stared at it like it was the real Ohtani,” one player said while laughing. “Then he started wagging his tail like crazy. We all lost it.”
Within seconds, half the clubhouse had their phones out. Players were crying laughing. Reporters couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. Even Ohtani himself walked around the corner, shocked to see Carlos loyally guarding the cardboard version of… well, him.
“He just froze,” another player said. “He literally didn’t know what to do.”
What happened next turned this moment from funny to iconic.
Carlos gently nudged the cutout, then laid next to it — as if claiming it as his new best friend. The room erupted again. Photos leaked. Videos leaked. And social media detonated in real time.
Memes compared Carlos to a loyal sidekick in a baseball anime. Others joked that the cardboard Ohtani had “more clubhouse chemistry than some superstars.” Fan artists drew the duo as an adorable animated pair. Even rival fanbases admitted this might be the most wholesome MLB moment in years.
Inside the clubhouse, players say the unexpected “friendship” has become a running joke — and a source of genuine positivity.
“It breaks the tension,” one veteran explained. “Baseball gets heavy. This? This is the kind of energy we need.”
Even the coaching staff has leaned into the chaos, reportedly moving the cutout around the facility just to see if Carlos will find it again. Spoiler: he does.
What makes this story so endearing isn’t just the comedy — it’s the timing. Yamamoto and Ohtani, two of the biggest stars in baseball, arrived with enormous expectations and intense pressure. Yet here they are, watching a dog build unity in the clubhouse with the most unexpected “friend” imaginable.
And somehow, it works.
Carlos didn’t mean to become a sensation. He didn’t try to go viral. He simply reacted the way dogs do — with honesty and heart. And in doing so, he gave MLB its newest unlikely duo, its newest wave of joy and the most charming off-field story of the entire season.
Call it weird.
Call it adorable.
Call it peak MLB comedy.
Whatever it is, fans and players can’t get enough — and neither can Carlos.
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