MLB star Ohtani shares photo of wife after intense speculation
Shohei Ohtani's wife was quickly identified as a former basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.
Shohei Ohtani posted a photograph on Instagram posing with Mamiko Tanaka in front of a plane.(Photo: Instagram/shoheiohtani)
SEOUL: Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani on Friday (Mar 15) posted the first picture of his new wife, who was quickly identified online as a former basketball player named Mamiko Tanaka.
The 29-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers star had until now kept his wife's identity firmly under wraps, two weeks after his surprise marriage announcement.
He had described her only as a "normal Japanese woman"Â he met three to four years ago and his reticence to give more details sparked intense speculation about her identity.
Early Friday, Ohtani posted an Instagram story featuring a picture of the smiling pair flanked by four other people in front of a plane bound for South Korea, where the Dodgers open the MLB season next week.
"Can't wait!" he said in a caption in Korean followed by the national flag of South Korea.
The Dodgers also posted a photo of the couple on X, formerly Twitter, with a caption describing the woman as "his wife".
No name was given but fans online were quick to figure out that she was Tanaka, who used to play with Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women's Japan Basketball League.
The identity of his wife was a hot topic across Japanese print and social media on Friday after pictures emerged showing the couple together.
"Ohtani's wife" was the top trending topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Japan, after the photos were posted. National broadcaster NHK and top daily newspapers put the photo of the couple at the top of their web pages.
Tanaka is 27 and retired last year, according to the team's website.
"The four years I spent in this team were full of memories both good and painful. But nonetheless, every second of it was a precious, amazing experience," Tanaka said in a statement upon retirement.
The Dodgers will play Korea Baseball Organization teams before facing the San Diego Padres next week. The teams are due to arrive at Seoul's Incheon International Airport later on Friday.
Ohtani, nicknamed "Sho-Time", has taken Major League Baseball by storm since arriving in 2018 with his almost unheard of combination of elite pitching and hitting prowess earning him comparisons to the legendary Babe Ruth.
Ohtani won his second Most Valuable Player award last year after leading the American League with 44 home runs and notching 10 wins as a pitcher.
He signed a 10-year, US$700 million deal in December with the Dodgers after six years with the Angels, the richest contract in the history of North American sport.
