He may not have a World Series ring yet, but Shohei Ohtani can check one significant piece of jewelry off his list after the two-way superstar announced on social media that he’s now a married man.
In a surprise announcement, Ohtani took to Instagram to write “The season is approaching, but I would like to announce to everyone that I have gotten married.” The Japanese sensation has been notoriously secretive about his private life, with few even knowing he was seeing someone.
While the announcement raised some eyebrows in North America, it nearly broke the internet in his native country of Japan where Ohtani is one of the most recognizable figures in the nation. After news leaked Thursday afternoon, the DH’s love life instantly became the top trending news story around the country.
While no details regarding Ohtani’s partner are currently known, the former NPB standout teased that he would provide additional information in an interview on Friday.
Fresh off inking a record breaking $700M contract with the Dodgers, the 29 year old is continuing his spring training in Arizona, and recently clubbed a two run homer against the Chicago White Sox, showing that the procedure on his right elbow hasn’t sapped him of any of his prodigious power.
Ohtani hit 44 HRs in 2023 to go along with 102 runs, 95 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. His .304 batting average and 1.066 OPS helped propel him to the 2nd AL MVP Award of his career.
With a rookie of the year, 2x AL MVP’s, and 3 consecutive All-Star appearances under his belt, the Oshu born slugger was already a big deal stateside. But his superstar status in North America isn’t even remotely comparable to how much fanfare he has back home in Japan.
Whomever his new partner is will need to adjust quickly to the level of celebrity that the Ohtani “brand” carries globally.
Los Angeles is next in action at 8:05pm ET against the Cincinnati Reds in Spring Training action.
Photo: Mogami Kariya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.