Shohei Ohtani - Seoul games to provide 'great memories' - ESPN

SEOUL, South Korea — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says the upcoming Major League Baseball season opener against the San Diego Padres in Seoul will provide «great memories» for him and his wife, but he will attempt to focus on baseball.

Ohtani spoke to journalists with Dodgers teammates at a packed news conference Saturday, a day after he arrived in Seoul with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka.

He said it was the first time for his wife «to come with me to a game like this.»

«So I think it's going to be really great memories for both of us. But like I said earlier, I have one job to focus on. It's baseball,» Ohtani said via an interpreter.

In late February, Ohtani, 29, posted on Instagram that he was married to «a normal Japanese woman» he had known for three to four years. He hadn't said who she was until another Instagram post with a photo of him and Tanaka on Thursday.

Tanaka, 27, is a former professional basketball player who played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women's Japan Basketball League from 2019 to 2023.

The Dodgers-Padres games on March 20-21 will be Ohtani's debut with the Dodgers and they will be the first MLB regular-season games in Seoul.

In December, Ohtani signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract to join the Dodgers. He underwent surgery on his right elbow in September and will not pitch this season. He will be used as a designated hitter and there is a possibility he could play in the field.

Ohtani said he was aware of the intense international media focus on the games in Seoul.

«I appreciate all the attention. Obviously, attention is always great, being a baseball player and being able to play with these great guys next to me. I'm really excited,» Ohtani said, referring to his two teammates