Shohei Ohtani shares a photo of his new wife on social media. She’s a former pro basketball player

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has revealed the identity of his new wife — a former professional basketball player — with a photo of the couple on social media.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star was photographed standing next to Mamiko Tanaka in front of an airplane alongside his teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 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 appears in a video of Dodgers players 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 but 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.

The Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani posted photos on social media that showed the two-way Japanese superstar with his wife publicly for the first time.

Shohei Ohtani will make his Dodgers debut at Wednesday’s first regular season game.

Two weeks after shocking baseball fans by announcing his secret marriage to the world, L.A. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finally revealed his “very special someone” on Thursday.

In an Instagram story, the legendary pitcher posted a group photo of himself and teammates standing on the tarmac before takeoff to Seoul, where they’ll play their season opener against the San Diego Padres. In the snap, a woman leans against Ohtani, smiling softly with her hands clasped, which prompted speculation that this was the wife he announced last month.

That woman is none other than Mamiko Tanaka, a 27-year-old Japanese basketball player who was on the Fujitsu Red Wave from 2019 to 2023.