Star News Reporter Yang Jeong-woong | 2024.03.23 06:41
LA Dodgers Shohei Otani (left) leaves the country with his wife Mamiko Tanaka via Incheon International Airport after finishing the opening two-game series of the MLB Seoul Series held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul early in the morning . 22nd. /Photo=News1 The American Professional Baseball (MLB) Seoul Series practice game between Team Korea and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LA) was held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 18th. Mamiko Tanaka, wife of Dodgers Shohei Otani, is watching. /Photo=News1 Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) returned after a not so fun time in Korea. Still, many people say that he must have found comfort in the presence of his new companion, his wife. After completing the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Tour Seoul Series schedule, Ohtani returned to the United States via Incheon International Airport with the LA Dodgers team and his wife Mamiko Tanaka (28) early in the morning on the 22nd.
In the two-game series between the San Diego Padres and the Seoul Series held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 20th and 21st at 7 pm, the Dodgers recorded 1 win and 1 loss. Ohtani, who started as the #2 designated hitter in both games, recorded 3 hits in 10 at-bats (.300 batting average). On the first day, he had 2 hits in 5 at-bats, and on the next day, he went 5-for-6 at bats, 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 RBI.
Ohtani, who showed good sense with multiple hits in the first game, continued to hit big balls in the second game. Although he couldn’t get over the fence and ended up getting caught in his glove, his first series with the Dodgers wasn’t bad considering he went 0-hitter in a practice game against the Korean team (LG Twins, national team) .
Even outside of the game, Ohtani’s appearance was impressive. Before coming to Korea, he expressed his anticipation on his SNS with a Taegeukgi emoticon, and also expressed his love for Korea in a press conference after entering the country. In an official interview on the 16th, he said, “I’m happy to come to Korea. I’m grateful for the attention I’ve gotten since the spring camp. I’m also looking forward to playing with great players again I get a lot of attention, but I have nothing left to do “I will focus on what I can do,” he said.
Shohei Otani revealed the group’s appearance with the Korean word for ‘wait’ and the Taegeukgi emoticon. /Photo = Official SNS Otani Ohtani visited Korea to participate in the World Youth Baseball Championship in 2012, when he was in his third year of high school. At that time, Ohtani played well in the 5th and 6th games against Korea held at the Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul, allowing 2 hits, 12 strikeouts, and 2 runs in 7 innings. However, he was pushed out by Korean starter Lee Geon-wook (now SSG Landers), who pitched 8 scoreless innings. Remembering that time, he said, “I was a high school student then. It was different from now. I could only go to Korea and Taiwan, but from then on, Korea was one of my favorite countries. ” In the second game held on the 21st, he was seen giving advice next to Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (26), who collapsed in his first game with 4 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 5 runs. (5 won) in 1 innings. . Thanks to this, Yamamoto was also able to make a bright expression.
But not all good things happened to Otani. According to Newsis on the 20th, the Guro Police Station in Seoul received a report of a threatening email saying, “We will detonate a powerful bomb at Gocheok Dome and harm the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers players Ohtani and others.” The email was received by an employee of the Consulate General of Canada in Vancouver. According to the police, the one-page email was written in English and confirmed to have been sent from Japan. After receiving the report, the police immediately sent personnel to check Gocheok Sky Dome and found nothing unusual.
Shohei Otani (right) and Ippei Mizuhara attended a press conference held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 16th. /AFPBBNews=News 1 Also, on the 21st, Ippei Mizuhara (40), a translator with whom he had been in a relationship for 10 years, was dismissed from the Dodgers on charges of illegal gambling and theft. It was discovered that $4.5 million (about 6 billion won) was deposited in Otani’s name from the account of a person under investigation by the US federal government, and this is believed to be related to Mizuhara’s recent involvement in illegal gambling. Mizuhara said Otani paid off the debt, while Otani’s defense team argued that Mizuhara transferred the money to pay off gambling debts. They met Mizuhara while working as an interpreter for foreign players in 2013 when Otani joined the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Ohtani hired Mizuhara as an interpreter when he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels before the 2018 season and attempted to play in the major leagues. After that, Mizuhara stayed with Otani and played more of a role than a translator at the time. He became a driver, a holding partner, and a bodyguard to protect Ohtani while clearing the bench. Accordingly, in 2021, the Angels awarded him the best interpreter award chosen by the club.
Before the game on the 21st when this fact became known, Ohtani was nowhere to be seen in the stadium. Reporter Akiyuki Shiraishi of the Japanese media Kyodo News, who met with Star News, said, “As the issue of Otani’s interpretation started in the morning, Japanese reporters were also very shocked.” He added, “I understand that Otani has left his accommodation, but he was seen not only on the ground but also in the club, “We could not find him,” he said.
Shohei Otani (left) and his wife Mamiko Tanaka. /Photo = LA Dodgers official SNS As such, the person who accompanied Ohtani on his Korean trip, who went back and forth between heaven and hell, was his married partner, Tanaka. A former Japanese women’s basketball player, her identity was revealed before the Seoul Series. Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Otani announced the wedding through SNS, saying, “I would like to inform you that I have started a new life with someone very special.” At the same time, she added, “Please refrain from unauthorized interviews with anyone, including her parents, “I hope,” she said, and revealed that herself. Like Otani, Tanaka has also visited Korea before. While a student at Waseda University, he visited Korea as a member of the Japan selection team in the 41st Korea-Japan Lee Sang Baek University Cup Selection Basketball Tournament held at the Dowon Gymnasium in Incheon in May 2018. specifically, in the first game held on May 18, he contributed to the team’s 67-59 victory with 8 points and 7 rebounds. At that time, the Korean starting team included Kang Yu-rim (Samsung Life Insurance, Gwangju University on at the time) and Lee Myung-gwan (Woori Bank, Dankook University at the time). Lee Myung-gwan, who appeared on the official YouTube channel of Women’s Professional Basketball (WKBL) recalled Tanaka, saying, “After the game, we sat at a table and took a picture together,” and Kang Yu-rim explained, “We (Korean players) were taking pictures together, so we took a picture together .”
Mamiko Tanaka (in the red circle) took a picture with the Korean players while attending the Lee Sang Baek Cup during her time as a player. The one from the right in the bottom row is Kang Yu-rim, and the second from the right in the top row is Myeong-gwan Lee. / Photo = Screenshot from YouTube ‘YeoNong TV’ Tanaka, who joined Fujitsu Red Wave in 2019 after graduating from college, his playing career ended last year. Even before Otani revealed his wife’s identity, Tanaka was considered a strong candidate in Japan, and eventually released a photo of his wife on social media before boarding a charter flight to Korea on the 15th. Tanaka, who followed Otani into Korea with a shy smile on his face from the moment he arrived, also attended a meeting of Dodgers players’ wives. We walked around downtown Seoul together and took pictures together after the Seoul Series game ended. She also had a successful debut as Otani’s wife.
There is also analysis that Otani’s wife was the source of strength during his exciting visit to Seoul. Japanese media The Digest reported, “Ohtani, who used to look nervous during the game, showed a relaxed expression at the airport on his way out of the country. Fans who saw this said, ‘My wife’s smile was helpful,’ and ‘It’s good to have someone by my side who can give me peace of mind.’ “There was a reaction,” the report reported. Fans even said, “Mamiko is a goddess who came down to save Otani.”
Ohtani, who signed a massive 10-year contract worth $700 million before this season and found a lifelong partner, is in the starting position for a new baseball career.
LA Dodgers Shohei Otani leaves the country with his wife Mamiko Tanaka via Incheon International Airport after finishing the opening two-game series of the MLB Seoul Series held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul early in the morning on the 22nd . /Photo = News 1
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