Congratulations are in order for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who gave birth to their daughter.
Ohtani made the aww-inducing announcement in an Instagram post on Saturday, sharing that he and his wife are now the proud parents of a baby girl. This marks the first child for Ohtani and Tanaka, who was a professional basketball player in their native Japan.
“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy, beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in his post. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”
The couple, who routinely guard their privacy, did not share their daughter’s name or a photo of the newborn, but did share an image of the couple holding their daughter’s tiny feet. Decoy, the pair’s beloved Kooikerhondje, made a cameo in the announcement with a small photo of the pooch on the corner of the post.
In addition to showering his family with his gratitude, Ohtani also expressed his thanks to the Dodgers and the medical staff that has been supporting the new parents.
The two-way athlete announced in December that his wife was expecting their first child. Ohtani did not specify when the baby was born.
On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was placed on MLB’s paternity list. Under the organization’s rules, Ohtani can miss up to three games during his paternity leave.
Asian American fans say Shohei Ohtani does for them what the late Dodger star Fernando Valenzuela did for Latino fans. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2024.
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