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Japan is “in mourning” following the shocking marriage announcement of Shohei Ohtani, who revealed on Thursday that he had married a mystery woman.
The notoriously private baseball star, who joined the Dodgers this offseason, said on Instagram that he was starting not only “a new chapter in my career but also starting a new life with someone from my home country of Japan, which is very special for me”. …’
And fans in his home country were particularly affected by the news of the marriage of ‘Japan’s Prince Charming’.
“It seems like literally everyone and their mother was mourning the loss of a potential fairytale marriage to Japan’s Prince Charming,” The times of Japan wrote. ‘Female colleagues in their 20s and 30s said their natural response was to share the pain with their mothers.
Ohtani later noted through an interpreter that he had married “a normal Japanese woman,” according to the AP, which apparently came as little consolation to some in his home country.
Shohei Ohtani surprised his fans around the world when he revealed that he was married
Ohtani even hesitated to reveal his dog’s name last year when he won the American League MVP.
“It appears that Ohtani, a humble and motivated ‘good guy,’ has not married a celebrity, and this was cause for celebration for many,” the Japan Times wrote.
Ohtani, a two-way baseball star who is the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, has 7.5 million followers on Instagram and is a hugely popular figure and source of national pride in Japan.
The Japan Times added that the term ‘shitsuren kyuuka’, meaning ‘heartbreak leave’, was trending on marriage’.
Ohtani’s announcement even caught the Dodgers off guard, as team manager Dave Roberts said from spring training.
“I’m very happy for him and his girlfriend,” Roberts said, via AP. ‘As for the wedding gifts, we were surprised and didn’t have much time to think about it. I’m sure he’s on his way.
In the Instagram post announcing their marriage, which racked up nearly 1.5 million likes in just one hour, the 29-year-old also said, “The two of us (and our dog) will support each other and look forward to moving forward together.” with all our fans.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted that he and the team were surprised by the news.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer in his spring training debut with the Dodgers this week.
He added that he and his wife were “still immature in many ways, but we would appreciate your kind support.”
The attention-shy Ohtani even refused to reveal his dog’s name after the canine appeared next to him when he accepted his 2023 American League MVP award.
He later explained that his dog’s name is ‘Decoy’ and that he thought the Japanese name, Dekopin, would be difficult for Americans to pronounce.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers in December on a historic 10-year, $700 million deal after weeks of speculation.
It is the most lucrative contract in the history of North American sports.
The designated hitter and pitcher, who will not take the mound this season due to injury, made his spring training debut for the Dodgers on Tuesday and hit a home run against the White Sox.