"Little Rookie Joins Our Family"... 'MLB Superstar' Ohtani Shares News of Wife's Pregnancy

Superstar Shohei Ohtani (30), who is active in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States, has announced that he will soon become a father.

Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, who plays for the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Photo by AP Yonhap News

On the 28th (local time), Ohtani posted on his Instagram a photo of a fetal ultrasound covered with emojis, along with pictures of pink baby clothes and baby shoes, writing in English, "A little rookie will soon join our family." Within about an hour, the post received over 500,000 congratulatory messages from colleagues and fans. Fans responded with various comments such as, "Congratulations. It will be a happier year-end for Ohtani," "Already looking forward to the baby's athletic talent," "The couple looks really good together," and "Dad is a baseball player, mom is a basketball player. The baby must have great natural athletic ability." Some speculated that the baby might be a girl based on the pink baby clothes in the photo, but the child's gender has not yet been disclosed.

Earlier, Ohtani announced his marriage to Mamiko Tanaka (28), a former Japanese women's professional basketball player, in February. Mamiko, who is 180 cm tall, played as a center for Waseda University, Tokyo Seitoku University, and the professional team Fujitsu Red Wave from 2019 until her retirement in 2023. Ohtani also attended the LA Dodgers' World Series (WS) victory celebration with Mamiko earlier last month.

Shohei Ohtani Instagram

Meanwhile, Ohtani achieved the MLB's first-ever '50 home runs - 50 stolen bases' this season and won the World Series championship. He was recently named the 'Male Athlete of the Year' by the Associated Press (AP). This is the third time Ohtani has been selected as 'Male Athlete of the Year,' following 2021 and 2023. Since the AP's 'Athlete of the Year' awards began in 1931, the athlete with the most awards across both genders is female golfer Babe Didrikson, who won six times. Among male athletes, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and Lance Armstrong have each won four times, while Michael Jordan and Ohtani have each received the award three times. Ohtani said, "Growing up in Japan, I admired Jordan and Woods," adding, "I am very honored. I want to win again next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.