Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani announced Thursday that he is now married, but kept his wife's identity secret.
The Los Angeles Dodgers player, who signed a $700 million contract with the team in December, said he is not only starting “a new chapter in my career, but I also have a new life with someone from my home country of Japan started, which is very special.” to me and I wanted everyone to know that I am married now.
“I look forward to what’s to come and thank you for your support,” the 29-year-old said in an Instagram post that racked up nearly 1.5 million likes in just an hour.
Ohtani, who won the American League's Most Valuable Player award last year with the Los Angeles Angels for the second time in six seasons, included a picture of his dog at the end of the post, but no picture of his wife.
Ohtani is notoriously private and, despite a great deal of interest in his life, reveals little about how he spends his time outside of baseball. On his Instagram account, which has 7.4 million followers, there are only 54 posts about the sport he plays.
Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani announced Thursday that he is now married
Ohtani recently signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Ohtani, pictured with Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, is a notoriously private figure
“The two of us (and our dog) will support each other and hope to move forward together with all our fans,” Ohtani wrote in his late-night statement, also in Japanese.
He added that he and his wife are “immature in many ways, but we would appreciate your kind support.”
Ohtani, nicknamed “Sho-Time,” has achieved enormous fame in Japan and abroad but values his privacy very much. Last year, he refused to reveal his dog's name after the dog appeared next to him as he accepted his 2023 American League MVP award.
There was speculation on social media that it was named after one of the teams that tried to sign him.
And when Ohtani finally announced he was joining the Dodgers, his new Los Angeles teammate Walker Buehler jokingly tweeted, “So the dog's name was Dodger after all?”
Ohtani later explained that his dog's name is “Decoy” and that he believed the Japanese name – Dekopin – was difficult for Americans to pronounce.
Known for his skills as both a pitcher and hitter, Ohtani helped Japan win the World Baseball Classic last year.
Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels last year and entered free agency after failing to make the MLB playoffs.
Ohtani was hesitant to reveal his dog's name last year when he won an AL MVP award
Ohtani said in a statement that he is starting a new chapter in his playing career and his own life
Ohtani moved to the Los Angeles Angels for the 2018 season before joining the Dodgers
After weeks of frantic speculation, he was traded to the Dodgers in December. His 10-year contract worth $700 million was the richest contract in the history of North American sports.
However, Ohtani will not pitch for the Dodgers this season. He had to undergo surgery because of a torn ligament in his throwing arm and will not pitch until 2025.
He was trained by Dr. Neal ElAttrache – the same surgeon who operated on Aaron Rodgers when he tore his Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets in September.
Ohtani made his preseason debut for the Dodgers on Tuesday, hitting a home run in his new team's win over the Chicago White Sox.
The team is currently in Arizona for spring training and will begin the season on March 20 in Seoul, South Korea against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers play the Cincinnati Reds later on Thursday.
In his Instagram post, Ohtani said he would hold a press conference on Friday and asked the media not to approach his wife or her family members.
Ohtani is currently stationed with the Dodgers in Arizona as he prepares for the new MLB season
Ohtani and the Dodgers begin the new season on March 20 in South Korea against the San Diego Padres
Ohtani's father, Toru, was born in northern Japan and played semi-professional baseball, retiring at 25 due to a shoulder injury. His mother Kayoko played badminton at the same level and in an interview with MLB in 2017, Ohtani joked that he still loses to his mother.
“I still can’t beat her in badminton,” he said at the time. “She’s tall and has been playing badminton for a long time.”
As a child, Ohtani was a high school baseball prodigy who initially wanted to skip the domestic league and head straight to the majors.
Instead, he signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013 and spent five seasons there before moving to the Angels.
Ohtani's every move grabs headlines in Japan, and his achievements are a matter of national pride.
His marriage announcement spread quickly in the Japanese media, but on the West Coast, where he lives, he announced the news in the middle of the night.