Shohei Ohtani shares picture of wife for the first time
By Bryan Ke
March 15, 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has shared a picture of his wife for the first time since recently breaking the news that he is a married man.
Key points:
- Ohtani shared the picture on his Instagram Story on Thursday. It shows the 29-year-old MLB star standing beside his wife, whom multiple news outlets have identified as former professional Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka, 27.
- The picture, taken on a tarmac with the Dodgers plane in the background, also features Ohtani’s interpreter Ippe Mizuhara and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The team was heading to Seoul for its season opener against the San Diego Padres when the pictures were taken.
- Similarly, the Los Angeles MLB team also highlighted them in a post on Thursday alongside Mookie Betts and his wife, who also recently got married. The alternate text on the Dodgers’ post read, “A photo of Shohei Ohtani and his wife before the flight to Korea.”
- Ohtani and Tanaka were also briefly shown in the video of the team boarding the plane to Seoul.
The details:
- Ohtani surprised many on Feb. 29 by announcing that he had secretly married a Japanese woman. He spoke to reporters the day after breaking the news, revealing that he met his wife about three or four years ago and they got engaged in 2023. The baseball star never disclosed Tanaka’s name on social media or specific details about their engagement or wedding.
- When reporters asked if his marriage affected his free agency decision, he told them, “No, not at all,” adding, “She respected my decision … and offered to come with me wherever I go. So, where I want to play baseball was my top priority.”
- Tanaka, who is 5 feet, 11 inches tall to Ohtani’s 6-foot-4 stature, signed with the Fujitsu Red Wave in 2019 as the team’s forward. She played four seasons with the Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
- In her first season, the Red Wave reportedly ended its regular season with a 13-3 record, followed by a successful 2021 run with a 17-3 record, resulting in the team winning the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before losing in the finals. In the 28 games she played in her last season, Tanaka reportedly made 47.7% of her field goals and 69.9% of her shots from the free throw line.
What’s next:
- The Dodgers will be playing two exhibition matches while in Seoul against the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes on Saturday, March 16, followed by Team Korea on Monday, March 18.
- The team will then face the San Diego Padres for its regular season opener, where Ohtani is expected to make his regular season debut with the Dodgers. The two-game series will be held on March 20 and 21.
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