Shohei Ohtani thrills new bride with his first hit as a Dodger since signing $700m deal: Japanese slugger rifles single off Padres’ Yu Darvish in MLB opener in Seoul as his basketball star wife Mamiko Tanaka cheers politely

It took Shohei Ohtani only two plate appearances in a Dodger uniform to get his first hit with his new team, much to the delight of his new bride attending the season opener at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on Wednesday.

Facing the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball’s Seoul Series, the Japanese sensation rifled a slider off countryman Yu Darvish into right field for an easy single.

ESPN cameras quickly cut to his new wife, Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka, who was seen exchanging high fives with a few women seated around her, all of whom were wearing Dodger hats and jerseys.

‘She’s a big a story as Shohei was in certain circles,’ ESPN’s Karl Ravech said of Tanaka, whose identity had been a closely guarded secret until last week, when Ohtani posted a photo of the couple on Instagram.

In February, Ohtani revealed that he had been married, but neglected to say anything about his new bride beside calling her ‘a Japanese woman,’ who is ‘very special to me.’

Mamiko Tanaka, Ohtani’s wife, is a basketball player in Japan who has played for the country

Mamiko Tanaka, wife of Shohei Ohtani, is seen prior to the 2024 Seoul Series game

Shohei Ohtani rifled a slider off countryman Yu Darvish into right field for an easy single

Ohtani’s Dodger debut hasn’t been perfect.

Serving as manager Dave Roberts’ designated hitter, Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice in both the first and fifth innings in his first game since being lured away from the Angels for a largely deferred 10-year, $700 million deal.

Later, however, Ohtani would get his first RBI with the Dodgers by driving in Gavin Lux on a single to left to give LA a 5-2 lead in the top of the eighth.  

Ohtani underwent off-season elbow surgery, which will likely preclude him from pitching in 2024, but baseball’s biggest two-way star since Babe Ruth remains the sport’s biggest star on both sides of the Pacific.

Wednesday’s game is likely the first time Tanaka has seen Ohtani play in the majors, although it’s difficult to say when their relationship officially began. Ohtani played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013 until 2017, when he signed with the Angels, for whom he played six seasons while winning two American League MVP awards.

‘So I think it’s going to be really great memories for both of us. But like I said earlier, I have one job to focus on. It’s baseball,’ Otani said via an interpreter on Saturday.