$1 Billion Man Shohei Ohtani, With Ex-Basketball Player Wife
Set for MLB Korea Opener March 20-21
A world-renowned sports star with a name that means “to live quietly while gaining fame” visited Korea. “Sho” means to fly, and ‘Hei’ means peace, a name Shohei Ohtani’s father gave him.
Whether it’s due to his name or not, he is a once-in-a-century’ two-way player’ sports star with a global fanbase and the most beloved Japanese sports star among Koreans.
Ohtani arrived in Korea through Incheon Airport to play in the friendly matches between the MLB teams LA Dodgers, San Diego, and the South Korean national team, as well as regular-season games for the MLB Dodgers.
He greeted the enthusiastic fans and press with a light smile, wearing a cap backward and dressed in comfortable training clothes.
Ohtani previously announced his surprise marriage through social media. His wife’s information was not disclosed, leading Japanese and global Ohtani fans to embark on a ‘find Ohtani’s wife’ quest.
Fans speculated that the person was Tanaka Mamiko, a former Japanese basketball player. However, as she did not appear publicly, fans’ curiosity grew.
However, on the day of his visit to Korea, Ohtani’s wife, Tanaka Mamiko (27), also appeared at Incheon Airport, garnering even more attention.
Mamiko, a former basketball player from Japan who stands 5’11” tall, graduated from a prestigious school and joined a professional team. She was also a promising player who was selected for the standby team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She reportedly retired in 2023. Japanese netizens speculate that she retired to marry Ohtani.
Ohtani’s family is known to be all athletes. It’s as if sports is their family business. From a young age, he enjoyed swimming and playing badminton, living a life close to sports.
However, the sport he loved most as a boy was baseball. Influenced by his father, who was a semi-pro baseball player, he started playing baseball in earnest in the second grade of elementary school.
He is known to have inherited athletic talent and physique from his parents, who were athletes.
According to an acquaintance of Ohtani, “Even as a child, he was the tallest and had the best physique, appearing about two years senior compared to his classmates.”
Also, he showed exceptional talent in the pitcher’s position from a young age. While the fastest speed of the ball that ordinary sixth-grade students can throw is measured at about 62 mph, he reportedly recorded a speed exceeding 68 mph when he was in the fifth grade of elementary school.
Yoo Hee-kwan, a famous Korean pitcher known for his slow pitching, threw between 68 and 80 mph in the Korean professional baseball league. The fact that Ohtani exceeded the speed of a pitch thrown by a Korean professional pitcher in elementary school proves that he is a genius player who might appear once in a century.
Additionally, Ohtani displayed excellent skills as a batter from a young age.
He hit so many home runs in little league baseball that the balls kept falling into the river, to the extent that the coach had to warn him about the disappearing baseballs.
Ohtani, blessed with a natural physique and baseball talent, was also known for his diligence and good character.
From a young age, Ohtani aimed for the MLB league, studying major league game videos on the computer to improve his skills.
Even though he had to practice twice as much by taking on both pitcher and batter roles, which others avoid, he led his tremendous growth by restraining his pleasure in baseball and working hard with a diligent attitude.
After graduating from high school, Ohtani dreamed of immediately advancing to MLB, but when it fell through, he worked hard in the Japanese professional league. He improved his skills and grew his physique to step onto the MLB, the dream stage of all baseball players.
His first team was the Los Angeles Angels, where he showcased his strong fastball of 99 mph and his powerful bat, hitting home runs and taking the Major League by storm. He then moved to the LA Dodgers, surprising the world once again.
Ohtani, who has brilliant achievements, including winning the American Major League MVP twice as the first Asian, drew the world’s attention when the signing bonus for his transfer contract with the LA Dodgers in December 2023 was disclosed to the media as $700 million.
The amount is approximately 9.24 trillion Korean won. Including additional bonuses and advertising revenue, his earnings exceeded $1 billion, earning him “The Billion Dollar Man.” However, he doesn’t receive all his salary at once, prioritizing game victories over money, and has decided to receive a portion after about ten years.
In an era when salaries could be deemed crucial, fans fell for him again because of his focus on sports.
The Major League regular season opener will be held in Seoul for two days, March 20-21. Ohtani’s performance is highly anticipated, and Korean player Kim Ha-Seong is also expected to play, promising a friendly Korea-Japan match that fans can witness firsthand in Korea.
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