Seoul (AFP) – Shohei Ohtani’s new wife was identified Friday as a former basketball player named Mamiko Tanaka after the Japanese baseball superstar posted a first picture of them together.
The 29-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenon 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 Japanese woman he met three to four years ago and his refusal to give more details sparked intense speculation about who she was.
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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. 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 in the Women’s Japan Basketball League. Tanaka is 27 and retired last year, according to the website of her former team, Fujitsu Red Wave.
Hundreds of fans greeted the Dodgers when they arrived at Incheon airport, near Seoul, later Friday. Some screamed Ohtani’s name and held up shirts with his name on them as he strode through the arrivals hall in front of Tanaka. Tanaka, wearing black jogging gear and also flanked by heavy security, smiled as she walked past the fans.
Ohtani, nicknamed “Sho-Time”, has taken Major League Baseball by storm since arriving in 2018, his almost unheard of combination of elite pitching and hitting prowess earning him comparisons to the legendary Babe Ruth. He signed a $700-million deal in December with the Dodgers, the richest contract in the history of North American sport.
© 2024 AFP
