After weeks of conjecture, Japanese baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani has revealed the identity of his new spouse.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers star posted a picture of former basketball player Mamiko Tanaka on his Instagram for the first time.
On the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Tour, the team is traveling to South Korea, when the newlyweds are spotted in front of an aircraft.
When Ohtani announced their marriage last month, he withheld her identity.
That mystery has now been solved
The 29-year-old simply described his Japanese wife as someone “who is very special to me” at the time, providing no other information about their wedding.
The announcement came as a shock to many and caused a stir on social media, leaving many of his fans guessing who she might be.
That mystery has now been solved.
Tanaka, 27, played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japanese Basketball League for four seasons before retiring last year, according to CBS News.
On Japan’s internet and Social Media
On Japan’s internet, fans and the public have reacted warmly to her reveal. Internet sleuths and excited fans had been debating who Ohtani had married for weeks, and her name had come up in discussions.
“Finally we see Mr and Mrs Ohtani!” On X, the former name for Twitter, a user posted. “She’s so beautiful and they make the perfect couple,” commented a different person.
Ohtani’s fellow Japanese colleague Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also visible in the photo of the two that was posted to his Instagram story.
On social media, the LA Dodgers shared a close-up picture of the couple next to a picture of outfielder Mookie Betts and his spouse.
San Diego Padres two-game series
Next week, Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers play the San Diego Padres in a two-game series.
Ohtani said “can’t wait” in Korean on his Instagram stories.
When he inked a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million (£552 million) contract in December, he made history and became one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
Ohtani is comparable to American baseball icon Babe Ruth because he is equally adept at both pitching and batting, unlike most players who specialize in one or the other.
He’s been dubbed “Shotime” and is regarded as one of the greatest players in the world.
Ohtani is the latest in a long line of Japanese athletes to play in the American league; baseball is extremely popular in Japan.
