Shohei Ohtani and wife Mamiko Tanaka announced at the end of December that they are expecting their first child together.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star revealed the news through an Instagram post, which featured a picture of a baby outfit and shoes, ultrasound image with an emoji covering it, and the couple’s dog, Decoy/Decopin (Dekopin).
Ohtani is set to become the newest father on the Dodgers, joining the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy and Will Smith, among others.
During an appearance on “The Chris Rose Rotation,” Rojas said he would gift Ohtani one of his favorite beers to congratulate him on the imminent arrival of his first child:
“A good congratulations text message is more than enough. Maybe I’ll get him one of his favorite beers that he likes to drink after a big series on the road. He likes to drink one Presidente beer after a big series or something like that. When we win or when he hit homer No. 50, he took one single beer. He’s a one-beer guy. I got him with the beer.”
Ohtani’s teammates have been supportive of him as he prepares for fatherhood. Betts recently joked that the two-way star should take advantage of sleeping in now before his first child arrives.
After a historic 2024 season, this year could potentially be even more special for Ohtani. In addition to expecting his first child, the two-way star is on track to return to the mound this season.
Ohtani did pause his throwing progression late in Spring Training, but assured that was part of the plan. It’s unclear, however, how that will impact the timeline Dodgers manager Dave Roberts originally suggested of Ohtani returning to pitching around May.
Miguel Rojas believes Dodgers can break MLB wins record
During the same interview with Chris Rose, Rojas said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers win 120 games this year.
The all-time MLB record belongs to the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners, who each finished with 116 wins in their respective seasons.
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