Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, expecting their first child

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, are expecting their first child, the player announced Saturday.

Ohtani, who set an MLB record this year before going on to win his first World Series title, made the announcement in a post to Instagram with the caption: “Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” 

Earlier this year, he became the first Major League Baseball player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season, solidifying his place in baseball history with the record-setting ball later selling for $4.4 million. That was just a little over a month before the Los Angeles Dodgers would face off with the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic. 

LA’s victory in the series, complete with records set by Freddie Freeman and a historic comeback in the final game, was celebrated with the city’s first Dodgers parade since 1988. It was a whirlwind end to Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers, which started off with a $700 million contract announced in December 2023 — the most lucrative signing of an MLB player in the league’s history.

Tanaka, a professional basketball player, appeared alongside Ohtani in a post to social media earlier this year after the player revealed just weeks before that he’s married. At the time, he didn’t say who his spouse was but wrote of her affectionately.

“Not only have I begun a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers but I also have (begun) a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me and I wanted everyone to know I am now married,” he posted to Instagram.