“I think they will be great memories for both of us. But like I said before, I have a job to focus on. It’s baseball,” the Japanese star.

In late February, Ohtani reported that he was married, but had not said who his wife was until a new Instagram post with a photo of him and Tanaka on Thursday.

Tanaka, 27, is a former professional basketball player who played for Fujitsu Red Wave in the Japan Women’s Basketball League from 2019 to 2023.

The games on March 20 and 21 will be Ohtani’s debut with the Dodgers, as well as the first games of the Major League regular season in Seoul.

The Japanese said he was aware of the international media attention on the games.

“I appreciate all the attention. Obviously, the attention is always great, being a baseball player and being able to play with these great guys by my side. “I am very excited,” she noted.

South Korean media have published stories about Ohtani, mostly speaking about him positively, and social media has been filled with messages praising the Japanese. Members of his South Korean fan club put up banners welcoming Ohtani’s arrival at Incheon International Airport on Friday.

That is not South Korea’s usual treatment of any celebrity in Japan, given the two countries’ strong rivalry in sports and other areas, mainly due to Japan’s past occupation of Korea.

Source: AP