SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and his spouse arrived in South Korea along with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates on Friday forward of their season-opening video games with the San Diego Padres subsequent week.
Ohtani, carrying a black coaching go well with and a cap backwards, was the primary Dodgers participant who confirmed up on the arrival gate of Incheon worldwide airport, west of Seoul. His spouse, Mamiko Tanaka, walked a number of steps behind him.
As a crowd of followers, many carrying Dodgers jerseys, shouted his identify and cheering slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand and Tanaka smiled, however neither mentioned something earlier than they took a limousine bus. Followers held placards that learn like “GOATANI (Best Of All Time is Ohtani) GO” and “Baseball genius Ohtani.”
Earlier than departing for South Korea, Ohtani, a two-way Japanese phenomenon, revealed the establish of his spouse by posting a photograph of him and Tanaka, an ex-professional basketball participant, on his Instagram account. Japanese media had already speculated that Ohtani’s spouse was probably Tanaka.
Tanaka, 27, performed for the Fujitsu Pink Wave within the Ladies’s Japan Basketball League from 2019-23.
In late February, Ohtani, 29, mentioned in his Instagram submit that he was married to “a traditional Japanese lady” that he had recognized for 3 to 4 years. However he didn’t say precisely who his spouse was.
In Ohtani’s Instagram submit, he was photographed with Tanaka in entrance of an airplane alongside his teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers posted a photograph of the Ohtani-Tanaka couple on the staff’s X (previously Twitter) account subsequent to considered one of Mookie Betts and his spouse.
The upcoming Dodgers-Padres video games might be Ohtani’s debut with the Dodgers. In December, Ohtani, who was previously with the Los Angeles Angels, signed a file $700 million, 10-year contract to affix the Dodgers.
Ohtani underwent surgical procedure on his proper elbow final September and won’t pitch this season. He might be used as a delegated hitter and there’s a chance he may play within the subject.
Social media in Japan and South Korea are abuzz with messages speaking about Ohtani and his spouse.
“So impressed to see how Ohtani opened up about his new bride, Mamiko Tanaka,” one X consumer mentioned in Japanese.
“Ohtani’s spouse is absolutely lovely. They’re each made for one another,” one X consumer mentioned in Korean. One other Korean message mentioned that “their future child might be an excellent athlete.”
The Padres arrived earlier Friday. The 2-game collection in Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on March 20-21 would be the first Main League Baseball regular-season video games in South Korea.
In the meantime, airport police mentioned they detained a South Korean man who allegedly hurled an egg close to Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts on the airport. Police mentioned they had been attempting to find out the motive for his motion, however his household informed investigators the person in his mid-20s has a historical past of psychological sickness.
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Related Press author Jiwon Track contributed to this report.
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