Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani pens down EMOTIONAL note after he and wife Mamiko Tanaka welcome first child

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed their first child, a daughter.

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani pens down EMOTIONAL note after he and wife Mamiko Tanaka welcome first child

Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka (Image via People)

The Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Texas Rangers without their talisman, Shohei Ohtani. The reason for this was due to him being on paternity leave. On Saturday, the reigning National League MVP penned down an emotional note as he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed their first child.

Ohtani shocked the sporting world in February 2024 when he suddenly announced his marriage. At first, the identity of his wife was not revealed for some private reasons. It was later found out that Tanaka was a former basketball player in Japan.

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It was in December last year when Ohtani revealed that he and his wife were expecting their first child in 2025. At the same time, American League MVP Aaron Judge, also announced that he and his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, were expecting their first child. A month later, in January, they welcomed a daughter named Nora Rose Judge.

On Saturday, the Dodgers’ two-way star took to his Instagram account to announce that the couple had been blessed with a daughter.

Welcome to the Ohtani Family! I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter. To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents. I would also like to thank the Dodgers organization, my teammates, and the fans for their constant support and kind words of encouragement.

Shohei Ohtani on Instagram

The post shared on Instagram did not reveal the name or any pictures of their daughter. The note on the post featured the image of a baby’s feet on one side of the corner while the face of Ohtani’s pet dog, Decoy, was on the other side.

When will Shohei Ohtani make his return to Los Angeles Dodgers from paternity leave?

After sweeping their division rivals, the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers went on the road to take on the 2023 World Series winners, the Texas Rangers. The first two games of the series saw them play without the NL MVP, Shohei Ohtani, as he was on paternity leave. Now that he has welcomed his first child, when can the fans expect to see him return to the team?

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via NY Times)

As per team manager Dave Roberts, Ohtani is expected to return and join the team before the final game of this 3-game series on Sunday. The two sides are currently scheduled to take on each other at 2:35 p.m. Eastern Time.

The first two games of the series have been split by the teams. The Dodgers won 3-0 on Friday with another impressive performance from the mound by Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With the win in this game, the Japanese pitcher extended his winning record to 3-1 this year and lowered his ERA to 0.93.

The second game of the series saw the Rangers fight back. After going 2-0 up, the Rangers gave up 3 runs in the 4th inning and seemed to be on the losing track. A two-run walk-off home run from Adolis Garcia saw them level the series with a 4-3 win on Saturday.

When will Shohei Ohtani return to pitching mound this year?

One of the biggest questions regarding Shohei Ohtani this year has been regarding his pitching return. The two-way superstar did not pitch last season as he underwent a surgery in 2023. This year, he is expected to play the two-way role for the team. The only question is – from when?

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

During the Spring Training, the Japanese international took part in pitching training. He has also taken part in some bullpen sessions of the team. Earlier it was expected that he would make his return to the mound in May.

However, as per team manager Dave Roberts, there is still no timeline on his return. He though, expects Ohtani to pitch for the team during the postseason this year.

Time of return, we’re still a couple of months away. I know that’s still vague but we’re just trying to get to the next step, get to the next step, and see where we’re at, but certainly expect him to pitch for us this year and through the postseason.

Dave Roberts said on The Jim Rome Show

During the 2023 season, Ohtani started 23 games and went 10-5 while pitching with a 3.14 ERA. He gave up 167 strikeouts and 18 home runs during his final year with the Los Angeles Angels.