By CNN
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The mystery is finally over.
Two weeks after making the surprise announcement of his marriage, Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has revealed his new wife’s identity – and she’s also a top athlete.
Ohtani, 29, on Thursday posted a photo on Instagram of the couple standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside the Los Angeles Dodgers’ team plane as they traveled to South Korea.
The two-time American League MVP stopped short of naming her, but the Dodgers later confirmed the woman in the photo is Mamiko Tanaka, a former star for Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
Tanaka, 27, also played for Japan at U16, U17 and U18 levels, according to her profile on international governing body FIBA’s website.
Ohtani, who is known for his two-way abilities on the field, is a hugely popular figure in his native Japan.
He set tongues wagging on February 29 after posting on Instagram that he had married “a Japanese woman,” who is “very special to me,” – but sharing no other details about her identity.
That announcement stunned fans – and Ohtani and topics related to his marriage quickly became Japan’s top five trending topics on social platform X.
The Dodgers are headed to South Korea for a series of exhibition games and a two-game, regular season set against the San Diego Padres.
In December, Ohtani announced that he was leaving the Los Angeles Angels to sign a record 10-year, $700 million deal with their crosstown rivals following weeks of fevered speculation.
Shortly after signing, he made the unprecedented decision to defer more than 97% of his salary until the end of his contract.
