Baseball-MLB star Ohtani shares photo of wife as Dodgers arrive in South Korea

(Updates with team arrival in South Korea) SEOUL, March 15 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani shared photographs of his new wife for the first time on Friday before the couple arrived in South Korea with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of their MLB season opener next week.

Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani shared photographs of his new wife for the first time on Friday before the couple arrived in South Korea with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of their MLB season opener next week. There has been widespread speculation over the marital status of Ohtani, the dual-threat MLB star and a national hero in Japan. The identity of his wife was a hot topic across Japanese print and social media on Friday after pictures emerged showing the couple together for the first time.

Japanese media named the woman as Mamiko Tanaka, who played in Japan's Women's Basketball League. Scores of baseball fans cheered and chanted Ohtani's name as he and his wife walked through the arrivals hall at Incheon International Airport surrounded by security before other Dodgers players appeared.

The Dodgers will play Korea Baseball Organization teams before facing the San Diego Padres next week. The Padres and their South Korean player Kim Ha-seong arrived earlier on Friday to much less fanfare.

Ohtani posted a photograph on Instagram posing with Tanaka in front of a plane with the message "Can't wait!" in Korean followed by the national flag of South Korea. Tanaka also appeared in a video posted on the team's X account as Dodgers players and family members boarded a plane.

Late last month, Ohtani announced his marriage to a Japanese woman on Instagram but gave no details about his bride besides her nationality. At a press conference the following day he described her simply as a "normal Japanese woman". "Ohtani's wife" was the top trending topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Japan, after the photos were posted. National broadcaster NHK and top daily newspapers put the photo of the couple at the top of their web pages.

Ohtani, 29, won his second Most Valuable Player award last year after leading the American League with 44 home runs and notching 10 wins as a pitcher. In December, he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after six years with the Angels.

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