To be fair, it’s not difficult to make a mix tape of a basketball player at any level and make that player look like a cross between Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan. And certainly, that’s the case with a video of the wife of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani posted on Twitter/X as L.A. cinched the 2024 World Series with a Game 5 win in New York on Wednesday.
Mamiko Tanaka, who married Ohtani this winter before his first season with the Dodgers, was a skilled shooter and a solid basketball player in Japan’s pro league in her heyday. A video posted by the X account, @LASportsReport, on Wednesday probably overstated things by saying, “Shohei Ohtani’s wife (Mamiko Tanaka) is an absolute Baller.”
The video racked up almost 600,000 views and shows Tanaka knocking down six different 3-point shots before also highlighting her performance in 3-on-3 competition.
Tanaka, who is 5-foot-11, is retired from basketball, but played in college at Waseda University in Japan before playing in Japan’s pro leagues for Fujitsu Red Wave. She played there from 2019-23, and her best season was her last, when she averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 24.0 minutes.
Shohei Ohtani’s wife (Mamiko Tanaka) is an absolute Baller 😤🔥
— LA Sports Report (@LA_SportsReport) October 30, 2024
pic.twitter.com/oh4KQcyclX
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Struggled in World Series
After a stellar regular season–his first after signing a $700 million contract with the Dodgers–in which he batted .310 and led the league in home runs (54), RBI (130), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.646), Ohtani was excellent in the playoffs up until the World Series.
He went just 2-for-19 in the series, in part hindered by a shoulder injury he suffered while attempting a stolen base in Game 2. Ohtani was 0-for-4 in the Dodgers’ clincher, and did not drive in a run during the series.
Still, he was grateful after the win.
“I’m so happy with this great ending to the season,” Ohtani said, via the Associated Press. “My teammates are great as players and as people. So many people came all the way to see our games, and I’m thankful for that.”
He continued, acknowledging his injury but saying he was happy to play through it: “Even after I got injured, I wanted to be ready to play. I’m honored that the team asked me to keep playing.”
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