Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani announced on Thursday that he has married and is “very excited” to start the next chapter of his life.
In an Instagram post that received over 750,000 likes in just 25 minutes, the Los Angeles Dodgers player announced his marriage.
He went on to say that he “began a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers but I also… began a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me and I wanted everyone to know I am now married” .
“I am excited for what is (to) come and thank you for your support.”
The 29-year-old, who won his second American League Most Valuable Player award in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels last year, posted a photo of his dog with its tongue lolling out in the bottom corner of the post.
“The two of us (and our dog) will support each other and we hope to move forward together with all of our fans,” he also wrote in Japanese.
He went on to say that he and his wife were “still immature in many ways, but we would appreciate your kind support”.
Ohtani is well-known in Japan and beyond for his pitching and hitting abilities, and he is dubbed “Sho-Time” due to his immense popularity.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers in December, receiving a $700 million 10-year contract, the highest in North American sports history.
The news came after weeks of intense speculation about which team he might join.
He made his Dodgers preseason debut on Tuesday, hitting a home run in his new team’s victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels for free agency last year after failing to have a winning season, let alone make the MLB playoffs.
He also helped Japan win last year’s World Baseball Classic.