Shohei Ohtani praised for his ‘perfect’ answer when asked to pick his favorite female athlete

Shohei Ohtani was praised by fans for his short yet ‘perfect’ answer when asked about his favorite female athlete. 

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated Women’s Night at their home game against the San Francisco Giants. As part of the festivities, Dodgers social media asked players who their favorite female athletes are before their 5-2 win at Elysian Park. 

While his teammates jumped on the chance to name tennis legend Serena Williams, soccer great Mia Hamm and WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark, Ohtani named his wife – Mamiko Tanaka.

‘My wife,’ the Japanese star answered without hesitation before walking away from the camera. 

The response garnered much praise from the Dodgers fanbase in the comment section. 

‘W reply Ohtani,’ one user wrote. 

‘Shohei saying his wife & Kiké saying his sister,’ another said with a teary-eyed emoji. 

‘Shohei is a smart man lol,’ a third added. 

Tanaka played for Waseeda University before entering the pro ranks in 2019 with the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League. The 5-foot-11 forward played with the Red Wave for four years before retiring in 2023. 

In her last season, Tanaka shot 47.7 percent from the field and 69.9 percent from the free throw line across 28 games, per ESPN. 

Ohtani’s wife, Mamiko Tanaka, played four years of professional basketball before retiring 

Tanaka played with the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League

Tanaka also represented Japan in international competitions at the U16, U17, and U18 divisions. 

Besides the pregame survey, players also had their walk-up songs chosen by special women in their lives. The evening’s soundtrack included Ohtani walking out to ‘Il Vento D’oro’ by Yugo Kanno, per Tanaka’s selection. 

The Dodgers have now won five straight games since the All-Star break and remain on top of the NL West with a 61-41 record.