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.
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