Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram that he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed a baby girl into their family on Saturday.
"Welcome to the Ohtani family," his post read.
"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."
Ohtani was placed on MLB's paternity list ahead of the Dodgers' series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday as he stayed back from the team's road trip in anticipation of the birth of his first child.
The 30-year-old Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in late December that he and his 28-year-old wife, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan, were expecting a baby in 2025.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” read the Dec. 28 post that included a photo showing the couple’s beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that was covered by a baby emoji.
Ohtani can miss up to three games while on paternity leave. The Dodgers will wrap up their three-game series in Texas on Sunday before an off day Monday.
— With files from the Associated Press
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.