Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week.
Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him.
Photo: AFP
As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards that read “GOATANI (Ohtani is Greatest Of All Time) GO” and “Baseball genius Ohtani.”
Before departing for South Korea, Ohtani, a two-way Japanese phenomenon, revealed the identify of his wife by posting a photograph of him and Tanaka, a former professional basketball player, on his Instagram account.
Japanese media had already speculated that Ohtani’s wife was likely Tanaka.
Tanaka, 27, played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League from 2019 to last year.
Ohtani, 29, in late February said in an Instagram post that he was married to “a normal Japanese woman” that he had known for three to four years, but he did not say exactly who his wife was.
In Ohtani’s Instagram post, he was photographed with Tanaka in front of an airplane alongside his teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers posted a photograph of the Ohtani-Tanaka couple on the team’s X account next to one of Mookie Betts and his wife.
The upcoming Dodgers-Padres games would be Ohtani’s debut with the Dodgers. Ohtani, who was formerly with the Los Angeles Angels, in December last year signed a record US$700 million, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers.
Ohtani underwent surgery on his right elbow in September last year and will not pitch this season. He will be used as a designated hitter and there is a possibility he could play in the field.
Social media in Japan and South Korea were abuzz with messages talking about Ohtani and his wife.
“So impressed to see how Ohtani opened up about his new bride, Mamiko Tanaka,” one X user said in Japanese.
“Ohtani’s wife is really beautiful. They are both made for each other,” another X user said in Korean.
Another Korean message said that “their future kid will be a super athlete.”
The Padres arrived earlier yesterday. The two-game series in Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on Wednesday and Thursday next week are to be the first Major League Baseball regular-season games held in South Korea.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS