While the world braced itself for Shohei Ohtani to chase a ring once he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the intensely private two-way phenom shared a bit more news on Thursday about how he spent his offseason.
“To all my friends and fans throughout, I have an announcement to make,” Ohtani posted on Instagram in Japanese. “Not only have I (started) a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers but I also have began a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me and I wanted everyone to know I am now married.
“I am excited for what is (to) come and thank you for your support.”
Ohtani, 29, did not reveal his new spouse’s identity and asked the media to refrain from “conducting unauthorized interviews.” He said he’d shed more light on the topic during an interview on Friday.
Ohtani won his second American League MVP award this past season when he batted .304 with an AL-leading 44 homers with 95 RBIs in 135 games with the Los Angeles Angels. He led the AL with a .412 on-base percentage and led the majors with a .654 slugging percentage.
As a pitcher, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and recorded 167 strikeouts over 132 innings (23 starts). He limited opposing batters to a .184 average.
Ohtani’s pitching efforts ended after he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23. The three-time All-Star continued playing as a batter until sustaining an oblique injury on Sept. 3.
Despite smacking 171 homers and going 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA as a pitcher, Ohtani didn’t play in a single playoff game during his six seasons in Anaheim.
–Field Level Media