On the eve of his first road trip as a Los Angeles Dodger, Shohei Ohtani answered one mystery about himself: the identity of his wife, Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.
Ohtani posted on Instagram on Thursday a picture of himself with Tanaka, alongside new Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto and translator Ippei Mazuhara. The group was about to board a flight to Seoul, South Korea, where the Dodgers will open the regular season with a two-game series against the San Diego Padres.
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“Can’t wait!” Ohtani wrote.
Ohtani has used his social media feed for several major announcements in recent months. He revealed his decision to join the Dodgers in December on Instagram. On Feb. 28, he announced his marriage. He described his wife as a “normal Japanese woman,” which was interpreted to mean that his spouse was not a celebrity. The two became engaged last year. Tanaka joined him at spring training this year in Arizona.
Tanaka, 27, played for the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League from 2019 to 2023. Ohtani has said the relationship did not influence his decision to remain in Southern California after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
“She has a great understanding of my profession,” Ohtani said. “She’s willing to be wherever I want to play at. Ultimately, it was up to me. So it had nothing to do with it.”
(Top photo of Tanaka and Ohtani: Stringer / Getty Images)