Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers shared a photo of his wife on social media for the first time Friday as the team boarded a plane bound for Seoul ahead of the two-game, season-opening series against the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani's wife is 27-year-old Mamiko Tanaka, who formerly played in Japanese basketball's W League. The Dodgers confirmed her identity to multiple media outlets in the United States.
The Dodgers posted the photo of the two-way star and his wife on their official X account but initially declined to identify her.
Ohtani released another photo of them together on Instagram with four others, including his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and his teammate and rookie pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The photo shared by the two-time American League MVP came with only the phrase "Can't wait!" in Korean, providing no information about who the woman is.
The Padres and Dodgers arrived separately at Incheon airport, near Seoul, on Friday. They will play the first two games of Major League Baseball's regular season on Wednesday and Thursday at Gocheok Sky Dome.
In late February, Ohtani made a surprise announcement that he had married a Japanese woman, but did not disclose her identity.
Most Japanese media outlets have still not named Ohtani's wife, who is not a public figure, despite the photos seemingly confirming speculation about her identity.
The Dodgers signed the 29-year-old Ohtani to a record 10-year, $700-million contract in the offseason after he led the AL with 44 home runs for the Los Angeles Angels.
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