Shohei Ohtani is a dad.
The baseball superstar and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, have welcomed a baby girl to their family, he said in an announcement on Instagram on Saturday afternoon (Sunday morning in Japan).
¡°I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter,¡± he said in the post, which features a picture of the baby¡¯s feet and his dog, Dekopin. The second page of the post shows two hands holding the baby¡¯s feet. ¡°To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.¡±
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed the reigning National League MVP on the paternity list on Friday, and he stayed behind to be with his wife in Los Angeles as the team traveled to face the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
Ohtani can miss up to three games on paternity leave. He can be moved to MLB¡¯s restricted list if he needs more time with his family. Sonja Chen of MLB.com, however, reported that Ohtani, who also missed Saturday¡¯s game, will be back with the Dodgers and in the lineup for the series finale against the Rangers on Sunday.
Ohtani thanked the Dodgers for their support and also expressed his gratitude to the medical professionals and others who provided care and support for his family.
Ohtani announced his marriage to Tanaka, a former pro basketball player who spent four seasons with the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women¡¯s Japan Basketball League, in February 2024. The couple announced they were expecting their first child in December.
Ohtani¡¯s announcement of the birth on Instagram garnered over 26,000 likes and 6,000 comments from excited fans within an hour.
Ohtani has played in 20 games this season and is batting .288 with six home runs and eight RBIs.
He threw a bullpen session on April 13 as he continues his efforts to get back on the mound and resume his role as a two-way player. His last appearance as a pitcher came on Aug. 23, 2023, while he was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani underwent his second major surgery on his right elbow in September 2023.
Despite being limited to the designated hitter role last year, his first with the Dodgers, Ohtani had a season for the ages, hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases to become the first MLB player to record a 50-50 season. He ended the year by helping the Dodgers win the World Series.
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