Shohei Otani announced his marriage in February, but his wife’s identity was unknown until now.
Japanese baseball superstar Shohi Ohtani has revealed the identity of his new wife after weeks of speculation.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star first shared a photo of former basketball player Mamiko Tanaka on his blog Instagram on Thursday.
The newlyweds are seen in front of the team’s flight to South Korea as part of the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Tour.
The 29-year-old also did not reveal any details about his wedding at the time, only describing his new Japanese bride as “someone very special to me.”
The announcement came as a shock to many, causing an uproar on social media and leaving many fans guessing who she was.
The mystery is now solved.
Tanaka, 27, played four seasons with the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Japan Women’s Basketball League before retiring last year, according to CBS News.
Fellow Japanese teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto also appears in a photo of the pair on Ohtani’s Instagram Story.
Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play a back-to-back game against the San Diego Padres next week.
“I can’t wait,” Otani wrote in Korean on his Instagram Story.
He signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700m (about £552m) contract in December, making him one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
Unlike most players who specialize in batting or pitching, Ohtani is equally skilled in both areas and has been compared to American baseball legend Babe Ruth.
He was given the nickname “Showtime” and is said to be one of the best players in the world.
Baseball is extremely popular in Japan, and Ohtani is one of a long line of Japanese players hoping to make it in the American League.
