SUMMARY
- Shohei Ohtani took to his Instagram to share that he is not only excited for a new chapter in his career but also in his life and announced that he is married.
- Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka who is former basketball player met for the first time at training facility a couple of years ago.
Shohei Ohtani is one of the best talents in the history of MLB. He has gained significant attention due to his remarkable skills including his pitching variations and baseball IQ. Being the highest-paid player in the league and among the popular athletes, Ohtani’s personal life piques the curiosity of countless people. Recently, he revealed that he is married to Mamiko Tanaka and now fans want to know all about her.
Notably, Ohtani debuted in the MLB in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels and has been an unstoppable force since then. Three years ago, he made history as he became the first player to be named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a position player. Not only this, Ohtani is also the first full-time two-way MLB player in almost a century which is undeniably a big achievement.
Furthermore, Ohtani whose peak sprint speed is 30 feet per second signed a 10-year contract $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2023 season ended. This contract is the largest that the sports world has ever seen. As he was about to make his debut with the Dodgers, Ohtani took to his Instagram to share that he is not only excited for a new chapter in his career but also in his life and announced that he is married.
Mamiko Tanaka played for the Fujitsu Red Wave for four years
The news of Shohei Ohtani being married made waves over the internet and fans started searching for answers as to who is this mysterious woman. The wait (and the search) ended just two weeks after the MLB player’s announcement as he posed for a photo with Mamiko Tanaka. Almost instantly, fans were able to recognize that she was a former basketball player.
Notably, Ohtani’s wife started her playing career at Waseeda University and joined the Women’s Japan Basketball League in 2019. She made her debut with the Fujitsu Red Wave and stayed loyal to the team throughout her professional career which lasted for four seasons. Tanaka, who was born on Dec. 11, 1996, and stands at 5-foot-11 played in the forward position.
Baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani 29 married Japanese girlfriend Mamiko Tanaka 27 quietly and only just revealed their union on Instagram. His wife played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japanese Basketball League for 4 seasons before retiring last year. Best wishes you two. pic.twitter.com/LLiCTYoMkw
— Freddie Saxon (@WordsmithSaxon) March 15, 2024
Furthermore, she had a shooting rate of 47.7% from the field and 69.9% from the free throw line in her last season which was in 2023. It is worth noting that after making the marriage announcement, Ohtani called his wife a “normal Japanese woman”, in a press conference. Now that her identity and career are discovered, it is safe to say that she is nowhere a normal Japanese woman but instead a superwoman, full of talents.
How did Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka meet?
As Shohei Ohtani’s personal life especially his marriage with the former basketball player has everyone captivated, they might be wondering how the two love birds met. Turns out, it was at a training facility a couple of years ago. During this time, Tanaka greeted Ohtani while passing and the MLB star vividly remembers how they ran into each other a couple of times in a matter of two weeks.
Furthermore, their love started blossoming, and they were in a long-distance relationship as Ohtani was playing in Los Angeles, whereas, Tanaka was in Japan. Now that everyone has got to know who Shohei Ohtani’s wife is, she is undeniably going to be in the headlines for days to come. There is no information about Tanaka’s future plans for her career, but by being linked to the famous MLB player, more doors will open for her.