Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and wife Mamiko welcome the birth of first child

Los Angeles Dodgers’ designated hitter and global superstar Shohei Ohtani announced Saturday on Instagram that he and his wife Mamiko welcomed a baby girl – the couple’s first child.

“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in the post. “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.”

The social media post included a photograph of the proud parents’ hands holding a pair of newborn feet.

Ohtani missed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Texas Rangers on Friday as he stayed with his wife ahead of the birth.

The Japanese star is on the paternity list, where he can stay for up to three days, according to MLB.com. If he needs more time off, he can be put on the restricted list.

There is a “chance” that Ohtani returns to the team later this weekend, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, though he added he did not know what day that could be.

“He’s a very good compartmentalizer, he loves his sleep so it’ll be interesting to see how the sleep wins out or doesn’t win out when you have a baby,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers, who defeated the Rangers 3-0 on Friday in Ohtani’s absence, have two more games in Texas on Saturday and Sunday. They then travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ohtani announced in February 2024 that he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former star for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League, though he initially kept her identity secret before releasing a photo of her two weeks later.

In December, he announced they were expecting their first child, posting a picture on Instagram of his dog, Decoy, lying next to a sonogram picture, baby romper suit and tiny shoes.

Before going on the paternity list, Ohtani had played in all 20 of the Dodgers’ games this season, hitting .288 with a .930 OPS and picking up where he left off after enjoying a historic 2024 season.