Shohei Ohtani announced he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, are expecting their first child together. Ohtani revealed the news through an Instagram post, just like when he announced being married.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” Ohtani wrote in the caption. The post was a picture of a baby outfit and shoes, ultrasound image with an emoji covering it, and the couple’s dog, Decoy/Decopin (Dekopin).
The couple recently was in the news for attending a Los Angeles Lakers game at Crypto.Com Arena. Ohtani and Tanaka were gifted custom Lakers jerseys in respective No. 17 and No. 12.
The baby announcement adds to what has been an eventful 2024 for Ohtani and Tanaka.
It began with Ohtani getting acclimated with new teammates after signing a then-record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. It represented the richest deal in professional sports history, surpassing Lionel Messi’s $674 million contract, but has since been surpassed by Juan Soto signing for $765 million (can ultimately reach $805 million in total value).
Ohtani’s world then was upended by former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara being at the center of an illegal sports betting scandal. A federal investigation resulted in Mizuhara facing bank fraud charges for stealing more than $17 million from Ohtani.
The Dodgers rallied around Ohtani and he kept focused on the field. That amounted to becoming the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season, earning him a third unanimous MVP Award. Ohtani also helped lead the Dodgers to a World Series win.
He did recently undergo offseason surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder but is expected to be cleared for hitting come the Tokyo Series.
What to know about Shohei Ohtani’s wife
Tanaka has a level of fame in her own right as a former professional basketball player. Her basketball began career at Waseeda University in 2018.
Tanaka then became a member of the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League, which she in played from 2019 to 2023. She retired in order to be with Ohtani full-time.
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