Shohei Ohtani and Wife Mamiko Tanaka Expecting First Baby

He noted that his wife is a “normal Japanese woman” who he has known for three or four years and added that he proposed to her in 2023, the outlet said.

In March, a photo of Ohtani and his wife was posted on the Dodgers’ social media, confirming her identity.

Tanaka, who played for the Fujitsu Red Wave team in the Women’s Japan Basketball League, has since been spotted at a few of her husband’s games. She also joined him at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s 2024 Blue Diamond Gala in May and the two were photographed together at a Los Angeles Lakers game earlier this month.

Ohtani had also reportedly penned a now-viral list about his hopes and dreams, including about starting a family, when he was in high school.

According to Sports Illustrated, which cited a post on Reddit that referenced a Japanese TV show, the athlete had written he wanted to get married and win the World Series by age 26 and have his first child, a son, by the time he was 28.

In October, in what marked his first MLB postseason appearance, the 2024 National League MVP helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series.