Before the Los Angeles Dodgers embarked on their trip to South Korea for next week’s Seoul Series games against the San Diego Padres, Shohei Ohtani posted a photo on Instagram featuring his wife, Mamiko Tanaka.
Shohei Ohtani (his wife Mamiko Tanaka) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are on their way to Korea for the Seoul Series next week 🇰🇷⚾️ pic.twitter.com/Uo8scJed8Y
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) March 14, 2024
The Dodgers posted a photo of their own with the alt text noting that Tanaka is indeed Ohtani’s wife. In late February, just after the start of spring training, Ohtani announced — to the surprise of most — that he had recently gotten married to a person he later described as “a normal Japanese woman” whom he had known for three or four years.
Ohtani, who is famously private about his personal life, disclosed no details about his wedding or his wife. He reportedly declined to say when they got married but said the relationship had no bearing on his decision to sign with the Dodgers, which his wife supported. He also told Japanese media that he got engaged last year and that his wife was with him at spring training. Tanaka isn’t just a private Japanese citizen. She was also a basketball player for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
Mamiko Tanaka: a normal Japanese woman pic.twitter.com/RwnvXFNDGl
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) March 14, 2024
Wheels up to Seoul. pic.twitter.com/NgeQYiwgS2
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 14, 2024
Ohtani is getting in the habit of dropping massive news via abrupt Instagram posts, as he also announced he was signing with the Dodgers through his account earlier this offseason. His deal was then reported to be worth a record $700 million, with $680 million deferred. gWhile he won’t pitch this season, Ohtani is expected to make his Dodgers debut next week as designated hitter for the team’s two games against the Padres on March 20 and 21 at Gocheok Sky Dome.
