“It's going to be really great memories for both of us” - Shohei Ohtani expects cherished time with wife in Seoul as Dodgers gear for Padres showdown
On Friday, Shohei Ohtani touched down at Seoul-Incheon international airport for his team's first series of the season. Accompanied by his wife, the Japanese superstar was greeted by legions of rabid fans.
Just a short hop from his hometown in Iwate, Japan, the first MLB series to be played in Korea provides a great chance for friends and family members of the star to see him play. The Dodgers play a pair of games at the Gocheok SkyDome against the Padres on Mar. 20 and 21.
In an attempt to quell the public interest surge surrounding him, and particularly his wife, Mamiko Tanika, Ohtani addressed the media. Known for his distate of the limelight, the 29-year old said that the game is his priority, but that he also thinks that the event will be "really great memories for both of us," referring to his new bride.
"Shohei Ohtani, through Ippei Mizuhara, when asked about getting married to Mamiko Tanaka: I answered a lot of the marriage questions in an interview earlier, so I don't want to really get into details here.
"But it is her first time coming with me to a game like this, so I think it's going to be really great memories for both of us. Like I said earlier, I have one job to focus on. That's baseball" - Dodger Blue
The newly minted member of the Los Angeles Dodgers announced his marriage to Kamiko via an instagram post in February. The pair's joint arrival at the airport is the first time that his wife, who Ohtani has described as "a normal Japanese woman" met news cameras.
The series between the San Diego Padres and the Dodgers will be the first of three overseas sets put forth by commissioner Rob Manfred to boost tje MLB's international appeal. In April, the Colorado Rockies will take on the Astros in Mexico before the Mets play the Phillies in London, England, in June.
Shohei Ohtani's popularity in Korea is as strong as ever
Despite being longtime rivals of Shohei Ohtani's native Japan on the diamond, South Korean baseball fans hold the reigning AL MVP in high esteem. In a comment to Reuters as he arrived in Korea, Ohtani showed that the feeling is mutual:
"Japan and Korea, they have been many exciting, good games, and I have been watching these since I was a child. The Korean team has always been very memorable for me. They've had great teams"
The two east Asian nations may have a storied baseball rivalry, but such memories seem to fade when Shohei Ohtani is in town.