Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has added another milestone to his already legendary life. On June 20, 2026, the two-way sensation and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, announced the birth of their second child. The couple shared the joyous news via a joint Instagram post, writing: “We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together. Thank you for being born safely.” The announcement came after Ohtani missed the Dodgers’ Friday game against the Baltimore Orioles to be present for the birth.
This latest addition marks the second time in just over a year that Ohtani has become a father. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in April 2025. True to his private nature, Ohtani has not publicly revealed the name or gender of either child, though fans have speculated that the second baby may be a boy after the couple shared a photo of tiny feet wrapped in a blue blanket. The news has been met with an outpouring of congratulations from fans and teammates alike, as Ohtani continues to balance the demands of a historic MLB career with his growing responsibilities at home.
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The Woman Behind the Star: Mamiko Tanaka
Shohei Ohtani married Mamiko Tanaka in February 2024, announcing the union in a surprise social media post. Tanaka, a former professional basketball player in Japan, stands 180 centimeters (5 feet 11 inches) tall. She is 29 years old, two years younger than her husband. A graduate of Waseda University, Tanaka played as a power forward and center for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League before retiring in 2023. Her athletic background—coming from a family of athletes—has led to widespread admiration for the couple’s “strongest DNA” combination.
Despite her impressive athletic credentials, Tanaka has remained largely out of the public eye, rarely appearing alongside her husband at games or events. The couple has kept their family life intensely private, a decision that Ohtani has respected and maintained throughout their marriage. When their daughter was born in 2025, Ohtani expressed his gratitude in a heartfelt Instagram post: “I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter.”
Balancing Fatherhood and a Historic Career
For Shohei Ohtani, the arrival of his second child came with a brief but meaningful pause from baseball. The Dodgers placed him on paternity leave, and he missed the June 19 game against the Orioles. The team expects him to return to the lineup sometime during the weekend. This marks the second time Ohtani has taken paternity leave; he also stepped away from the team in April 2025 for the birth of his first child. Interestingly, the Dodgers did not place him on MLB’s official paternity list this time, meaning he was not subject to the league’s three-day maximum leave rule.
The timing of the birth carries a special significance for Ohtani. Now 31 years old, he has reportedly achieved a goal he set for himself back in high school: to have a second child by age 31. His famous “life plan” written during his teenage years outlined a remarkably accurate roadmap for his career and personal life, including winning a World Series, getting married at 26, and becoming a father. With two children now and the Dodgers in first place, Ohtani continues to prove that his ability to plan—both on and off the field—is as extraordinary as his talent.
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As the Ohtani family grows, fans around the world will undoubtedly continue to celebrate these personal milestones with the same enthusiasm they reserve for his on-field heroics. For now, the focus remains on the newest addition to the family, a testament to the quieter, equally important victories in the life of baseball’s brightest star.
