SEOUL – Shohei Ohtani and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates posted photos of the Major League Baseball star’s wife on social media for the first time on Friday, as the club boarded a plane to South Korea for the MLB season opener next week.
Ohtani, a dual-threat MLB phenom and Japanese national hero, has been the subject of much conjecture about his marital status. The identity of his wife became a big subject in Japanese print and social media on Friday as photos of the couple surfaced.
The woman was identified by Japanese media as Mamiko Tanaka, a Women’s Basketball League player.
Ohtani shared an Instagram photo of herself and Tanaka in front of a jet, with the words “Can’t wait!” in Korean and the South Korean national flag below.
Tanaka also appeared in a video released on the Dodgers’ X account, which showed players and family members boarding a plane.
Ohtani announced his marriage to a Japanese woman on Instagram late last month, but provided no other information about his bride other than her nationality. The next day, at a news conference, he simply described her as a “normal Japanese woman”.
Following the release of the images, “Ohtani’s wife” became the top trending topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Japan. The couple’s photo was prominently displayed on the websites of national broadcaster NHK and major daily publications.
The Dodgers will play clubs from the Korea Baseball Organization before hosting the San Diego Padres next week. The teams are scheduled to arrive at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport later on Friday.
Ohtani, 29, won his second Most Valuable Player award last year after leading the American League with 44 home runs and ten victories as a pitcher.
After six seasons with the Angels, he agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December.
