Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 Season Ends on High Note, Announces He’s Expecting a Child
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is ending the year on a high note, capping off an impressive season. Despite not pitching due to recovering from elbow surgery, Ohtani became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, en route to winning his third MVP Award in the last four seasons.
Ohtani’s Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, but he personally underwhelmed in the postseason. With just days left in the year, Ohtani announced that he is set to become a father. He posted a photo on Instagram of his dog, Decoy, lying beside a onesie and shoes, along with a sonogram. The gender of the baby was not revealed, but Ohtani used a boy emoji to cover up the sonogram photo.
Ohtani married a “normal Japanese woman” named Mamiko in February, but the exact date of the wedding was not revealed. He stated that he wanted to keep the announcement private until after the season, citing paperwork issues that delayed the process.
In addition to his impressive individual stats, Ohtani’s 134 runs scored and 411 total bases were the most in the majors, and he led the National League in home runs (54), RBIs (130), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (646), and a 9.2 bWAR. His.310 average in the NL was second behind only Luis Arráez’s.314.
Ohtani’s announcement comes as reports surface that AL MVP Aaron Judge and his wife will also soon welcome their first child.
