Shohei Ohtani reached another milestone earlier this year when he and wife Mamiko Tanaka welcomed their first child into the world, a daughter.
Before Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called the two-way star into his office. Ohtani initially thought he was in trouble before seeing a pink toy Porsche on the ground.
“Yeah, that was a present from me and my wife to Shohei’s baby,” Roberts said. “So you saw that already? Yeah, we had a little running practical joke situation going on, but this was a gift for the baby. Yeah, pink Porsche.”
Roberts added that Ohtani was “very grateful” for the funny, but kind gesture.
A special gift for the new dad. 🚗 pic.twitter.com/yc2fiPsVNP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2025
The toy was a reference to Ohtani gifting Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, a real Porsche after the right-hander agreed to give up his No. 17 when he joined the Dodgers.
Ohtani would later prank Roberts by gifting him a toy Porsche after he broke his Dodgers record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player.
Ohtani played another joke on Roberts this year when he left a second toy Porsche in his parking spot at Camelback Ranch. The Dodgers skipper responded by filling the three-time MVP’s car with dozens of plastic balls.
Shohei Ohtani adjusting to less sleep since becoming father
Ohtani initially struggled upon returning from the paternity list at the end of April, but he has since regained his form after making some adjustments to his schedule.
“A little change in the routine in terms of, for example, today I went to the hospital and came straight to the field,” Ohtani recently said through interpreter Will Ireton.
“Just being here at home is nice to be able to spend time. But on the road, it’s going to be a little bit of a challenge, since I won’t be here.”
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