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Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Posts Photo With Wife Before Trip to Korea

Before the Los Angeles Dodgers took off for the upcoming Seoul Series, Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, were photographed together for the first time.
Sam Connon|
Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Posts Photo With Wife Before Trip to Korea
Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Posts Photo With Wife Before Trip to Korea

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers took off for their season-opening set against the San Diego Padres on Thursday, and big news came out of their trip to the airport.

Newly-signed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani posted a picture to his Instagram story as he was boarding the flight to South Korea for the upcoming Seoul Series. Alongside his translator, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamtoto and other Dodgers staffers was Ohtani's wife, professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.

This was the first photo of Ohtani and Tanaka together, as it was not previously public knowledge that the two were married.

Ohtani announced on February 28 that he had gotten married in the offseason, although he did not reveal his wife's name at the time. All he said in his Instagram post was that she was from Japan and very special to him.

Tanaka is a 5-foot-11 power forward/center for Fujitsu Redwave of the Women's Japan Basketball League. Last season, Tanaka averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from 2, 25.0% from deep and 69.6% from the free throw line.

The 28-year-old does not have any stats listed for this year.

Marrying Tanaka was one of several major changes to Ohtani's life over the past few months.

After undergoing elbow surgery in the fall, Ohtani entered free agency and wound up leaving the Los Angeles Angels in favor of the Dodgers. He inked the largest contract in North American sports history, securing a 10-year, $700 million deal on the open market.

The 2021 and 2023 AL MVP has made each of the last three All-Star Games. During those seasons, he has hit .277 with a .964 OPS, averaging 41 home runs, 97 RBI and stolen bases a year. On the mound, Ohtani is 34-16 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.051 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in that span, although he is unlikely to pitch again until 2025.

Ohtani boasts a 28.5 WAR since 2021, higher than anyone else in the league.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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