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Ohtani’s wife Mamiko Tanaka dissed in Dodgers, MLB MVP celebration

While winning a third unanimous MVP award is an unbelievable moment for Ohtani, LA and baseball missed the mark with his wife.
Matt Ryan|
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) holds his dog Decoy, as he walks with off the field his wife Mamiko Tanaka following the teams World Series Championship Celebration.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) holds his dog Decoy, as he walks with off the field his wife Mamiko Tanaka following the teams World Series Championship Celebration. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani had a season for the record books and another MVP to show for it. While it was plenty of reason to celebrate, the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB mistakenly dissed his wife with their coverage.

Ohtani wrapped up his third unanimous MVP — the first in the National League after winning two with the Los Angeles Angels — after becoming the first player to reach the 50/50 club with 54 home runs and 59 steals on the season.

After teammate Clayton Kershaw announced the award, a live shot of Ohtani sitting with his wife Mamiko Tanaka and his dog Decoy went viral after the dog got startled with the applause and bolted. With that moment, the Dodgers social media accounts along with MLB took that story and like Decoy ran with it.

RELATED: Shohei Ohtani's rarely-seen wife Mamiko Tanaka is 'absolute baller' in her own right

They missed the mark, however, by not doing anything on Tanaka, who sat there looking stunning in her fit and had an awesome reaction for her man. They even had a fist bump moment together. The coverage from both the Dodgers and MLB looked like this with Decoy looking like the real MVP:

There was never a mention of Tanka on the night (and plenty of other Ohtani posts without Decoy), who has certainly come out of her shell lately and even posed for pictures with Dodgers fans at the World Series celebration. The fact she was sitting with him was a huge moment.

RELATED: Shohei Ohtani adorably plays hoops with ex-pro wife Mamiko Tanaka

While Tanaka didn’t get coverage (and Decoy and Ohtani did), even Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman’s wife Chelsea Freeman got mentioned while at the CMA Awards.

As well as plenty of pub for viral LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne on the night her boyfriend Paul Skenes won the NL Rookie of the Year for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While it’s understandable why Decoy (and Freeman and Dunne) got a lot of attention as he has this season, the Dodgers and MLB missed their chance to recognize Tanaka there like it has with other WAGs. Tanaka deserved better on her husband’s big night to be part of the celebration coverage.

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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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