Walk-offs, no-hitters and a kayak: Most exciting MLB bobblehead night performances

Shohei Ohtani hit a walk-off home run on April 2, powering the Los Angeles Dodgers to a victory over the Atlanta Braves on what just so happened to be his bobblehead night.

It was a tremendous moment: thousands of fans with an Ohtani bobblehead now in hand, getting to watch him show off that impossible strength in-person by driving a ball on the outside part of the plate — with a casual swing — to the deepest part of the ballpark and over the fence for a dub.

It’s certainly one of the most exciting moments any player has ever had on their bobblehead night, but Ohtani isn’t alone in a bobblehead-related feat worthy of your awe. Here are seven standout bobblehead night performances, from dingers to strikeouts to near perfection to … Star Wars-themed bobbleheads, for some reason.

Let’s get to it!

Shohei Ohtani walks it off

We’re already on the subject, so let’s start with the Dodgers superstar. The Dodgers were tied 5-all with the Braves in the bottom of the ninth inning. There was already one out and no one on base with Raisel Iglesias on the mound for Atlanta. The right-hander threw an 89-mph pitch across the strike zone that hit the outside part of the plate, but the ball didn’t move nearly enough away from Ohtani’s bat.

Ohtani swung, connected and sent the ball over the fence in center field to give the Dodgers the win.

The Dodgers improved to 8-0, while the Braves dropped to 0-7. Atlanta was already having a difficult enough start to things. But hey, Ohtani, it was your bobblehead night and all.

Bailey had a bobblehead giveaway with the San Francisco Giants early in the 2023 season, his second in the majors, and he made the most of it. Despite hitting .233 the year before — and finishing the 2023 campaign batting .234 — Bailey somehow went 4-for-4 at the plate on bobblehead day. That seems improbable enough, but it doesn’t stop there.

Bailey hit a home run, and it ended up counting as a splash hit, but it didn’t technically splash because it landed in McCovey Cove — inside a kayak! There was one more oddity to account for: Bailey nearly hit for the cycle, but the ball that would’ve been his triple ended up bouncing over the outfield wall, restricting him to a double. Even without that cycle, though, bobblehead night was one to remember for the 24-year-old Giant.

Not only did Rizzo hit two homers against the Tampa Bay Rays on his bobblehead night — the second of which was the go-ahead dinger to put the New York Yankees up in a game they’d ultimately win — but he did it with a bobblehead that was dressed up as the titular Mandalorian character from the hit Star Wars show.

José Ramírez goes deep twice, then once more

Ramírez must really love a bobblehead. On July 16, 2022, the Cleveland Guardians‘ third baseman hit two homers against the Detroit Tigers on his bobblehead night.

Then, two seasons later on another bobblehead night, Ramírez hit a home run at the end of a 12-pitch at-bat in the first inning, setting the tone for the whole game, one that the Guardians won 11-4 against the Minnesota Twins.

For the night, Ramírez went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBIs. The Guardians should probably have bobblehead nights for him more often, maybe a few times per season, just to be on the safe side.

Kimbrel was known for his strikeouts during his vintage days as the closer of the Braves, Boston Red Sox and other clubs. Thanks to how nasty Kimbrel’s stuff was, he’d sometimes sneak an extra out in during his inning of work. The movement on Kimbrel’s pitches was extreme enough on his June 12, 2013 bobblehead night with the Braves that his catcher, Brian McCann, dropped a third strike to Nick Swisher, extending the inning.

Kimbrel would end up striking out Russell Martin for the fourth out and third strikeout of the frame, though, the Braves would end up losing the game.

Corey Kluber‘s bobblehead no-hitter, with a twist

Ohtani’s walk-off home run might have been the most exhilarating single bobblehead night moment, but it’s going to be tough to top the pure ridiculousness of the entire Kluber bobblehead situation. It occurred in 2021 when the Yankees faced off against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, but we’re going to need to go back to 2020 to tell the whole tale.

Kluber was traded from Cleveland to Texas during the 2019-2020 offseason. Then, that campaign was limited to 60 regular-season games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kluber ended up pitching all of one inning with the Rangers that season, thanks to what ended up being a torn muscle in his shoulder. In addition, since fans weren’t in attendance at any games, Kluber’s bobblehead night — and everybody else’s — was delayed or canceled. Those bobbleheads were already made, however, so the Rangers decided to give them out when the Yankees came to town, Kluber in tow, in 2021.

Kluber simply proceeded to throw a no-hitter against his former team on his bobblehead night, which they were hosting. It was the Yankees’ first no-no of the century, and the one and only no-hitter of Kluber’s 13-year career. About the only way we’re going to top that is if a player does something like, say, hits a walk-off home run and throw a no-hitter on their bobblehead night. Shohei Ohtani, you’ve got your mission for the 2026 season.

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