"[It's] about to happen..."
Shohei Ohtani had some very exciting non-baseball news to share with his fans over the weekend.
The 30-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers star took to Instagram April 19 to announce the birth of his first child with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, 28.
“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in the post. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”
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Alongside the message was a photo of the newly-minted father and mother holding their little one’s tiny feet.
In the post, Ohtani thanked the Dodgers organization, his teammates, fans and the medical professionals who supported him and his family throughout the process.
The Dodgers — which signed Ohtani to a record-breaking 10-year, $700,000 contract in December 2023 — congratulated their superstar in the comment section.
“Congratulations, Shohei and Mamiko! Can’t wait to meet the newest Dodger,” the Dodgers wrote next to a blue heart emoji.
The exciting news comes a little more than a year after Ohtani and Tanaka — a former professional basketball player — tied the knot in February 2024.
“Not only have I began a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers but I also have began a new life with someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me,” he wrote in an Instagram caption.
Tanaka wasn’t mentioned by name in the post, but her identity was revealed the following month thanks to a photo shared by the MLB’s official X account.
On Dec. 28, Ohtani announced that he and Tanaka were expecting their first child together.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” he wrote in the caption alongside a photo of his dog Decoy laying next to a sonogram photo, pink onesie and pair of baby shoes.
Ohtani missed two games while on paternity leave
The two-way star — who bats and pitches for the Dodgers — was placed on his team’s paternity list April 18 as his wife’s due date approached.
MLB players are permitted to miss at least one game once put on the list and can spend a maximum of three days on the list before returning to action, per Yahoo! Sports.
Ohtani missed the first two games of the Dodgers’ three-game series against the Texas Rangers, which began April 18.
During an in-game interview on April 19, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts congratulated Shohei — whom he called Sho — on the birth of the baby, though he wasn’t sure what the baby’s name was.
The designated hitter — who rejoined the team on April 20 — began fatherhood with a 1-0 win against the Rangers, but finished the game 0-3 with a walk and strikeout.
The Dodgers (16-7) play two more road games against the Chicago Cubs before returning home to LA for a six-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Miami Marlins.
Ohtani is batting .277 with a .905 OPS, six home runs, eight RBIs and five stolen bases in 21 games played this season, per ESPN.
The four-time All-Star is coming off a 2024 campaign that ended with his third MVP award and first World Series title — in addition to his marriage to Tanaka.
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And now he’s a first-time father!
