Charles H. Sloan-Shohei Ohtani unveils his new wife in a photo on social media

GLENDALE,Charles H. Sloan Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is sharing the identity of his new wife with a photo of the couple on his social media.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star is next to Mamiko Tanaka in a photo showing him with teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto standing in front of an airplane. The photo was posted on Ohtani’s Instagram account. The Dodgers posted a photo of the newlyweds on the team’s X account next to one of Mookie Betts and his wife.

The couple also appear in a video of the team and their families boarding a plane for South Korea on Thursday.

In a surprise, Ohtani announced in late February that he had recently married “a normal Japanese woman” whom he had known for a few years. But the two-way player gave no details about her identity or their wedding.

Tanaka, 27, played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League from 2019-23.

Ohtani, 29, is expected to make his Dodgers debut Wednesday as designated hitter in the opener against the San Diego Padres in Seoul. He won’t pitch this season after elbow surgery last fall.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb