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Associated Press

In a shock to fans, baseball star Shohei Ohtani has revealed he is now married.
The Los Angeles Dodgers player wrote on Thursday on Instagram in Japanese: “The season is approaching but I would like to announce to everyone that I have gotten married.”
He said his new wife was a “Japanese woman” without identifying her. He said he would reveal more in an interview, presumably at the Dodgers’ spring training venue.
The 29-year-old Ohtani is Japan’s biggest celebrity, and there has always been curiosity around his personal life, which he has always kept very private. His focus, and his image, has always been 100 per cent-baseball focused – free of scandals or tabloid news.












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A post shared by Shohei Ohtani | 大谷翔平 (@shoheiohtani)



Ohtani moved from the Los Angeles Angels to the Dodgers in December on a record-breaking contract worth US$700 million over 10 years.
“I began a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers, but I also have started a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me,” he wrote.
He asked the media refrain from “conducting unauthorised interviews”.
The post on Instagram included a photo of his dog “Dekopin”, which is also called “Decoy”.
He wrote: “We hope the two of us – and one animal – will work together.”
How much? Japanese baseball star Ohtani inks richest deal in US sporting history
The news broke in the middle of the night in North America, and late afternoon in Japan, where it was immediately the top news item on local television.
In the US, local TV stations report daily on Ohtani and, because of his unprecedented success in North America, he has become the pride of Japan, and the Dodgers Japan’s de facto team.
Ohtani is training in Arizona for the Major League Baseball season, preparing for the Dodgers to open in Seoul, South Korea, on March 20-21 in a two-game series against the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani just underwent surgery on his right elbow and will not pitch this season. He will be used as a designated hitter, and the possibility exists he could play in the field.

In his spring training debut this week, he hit a two-run home run against the Chicago White Sox.
Ohtani has hit 171 home runs – 44 last season – and has a career batting average of .274. His record as a pitcher is 38-19 in five seasons.
He missed the 2019 season due to elbow surgery and has a career ERA of 3.01.
He was the American League rookie of the year in 2018, and the American League MVP in 2021 and 2023, and has often been compared to Babe Ruth for his skill as a two-way player.


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Japan

Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani says he’s married, and his bride is Japanese

Japan’s Shohei Ohtani pitches in the first inning during the World Baseball Classic quarter-final game between Japan and Italy at the Tokyo Dome in March 2023. Photo: AFP

A woman walks past a screen showing a news programme on the marriage of baseball star Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo on Thursday. Photo: AP

Can Japan’s married women finally keep maiden names after business lobby’s push for new law?

People cross a street in Tokyo’s Ueno district. Photo: AP

Traditionalists say allowing a woman to retain her maiden name would undermine the family unit. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

A couple in traditional Japanese attire. The issue of women in Japan holding on to their maiden names has been the subject of intense debate for nearly 20 years. Photo: Shutterstock 

‘Pride of Japan’, Shohei Ohtani thrills baseball mad country after US$700 million record deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts (50) of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Angels shake hands during a game in June. The two cross town rivals will now be teammates following Ohtani’s record contract with the Dodgers. Photo: TNS

An extra edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting on Shohei Ohtani to move to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Photo: AP

Shohei Ohtani has signed the richest contract in North American sports history. Photo: Reuters

Shohei Ohtani: family, net worth, height, record-breaking MLB All-Star stats, and Babe Ruth comparisons

Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani playing against the Chicago White Sox at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, in 2021. Photo: USA Today

American League's Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Angeles, hits during the first round of the MLB All Star baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/Gabriel Christus)

ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 25: Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bows to Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after he hit a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium on July 25, 2018 in Anaheim, California. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2015, file photo, Japan's starter Shohei Otani pitches against South Korea during the first inning of their semifinal game at the Premier12 world baseball tournament at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. A person familiar with the decision says Major League Baseball owners on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, have approved a new posting agreement with their Japanese counterparts in a move that allows bidding to start for coveted pitcher and outfielder Shohei Ohtani. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. (AP Photo/Toru Takahashi, File)

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The announcement comes as a surprise from the Dodgers player, who normally keeps his personal life private and avoids scandals and tabloid headlines
Ohtani recently signed a record-breaking contract worth US$700 million, and has become the pride of Japan thanks to his unprecedented success in North America


The announcement comes as a surprise from the Dodgers player, who normally keeps his personal life private and avoids scandals and tabloid headlines.


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