Dodgers superstar welcomes first child

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani announced on Saturday that he and his wife, Mamiko, have welcomed their first child.

“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy and beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in an Instagram post. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”

The Dodgers had placed the three-time Most Valuable Player on Major League Baseball’s paternity list on Friday, and Ohtani had stayed behind when the team travelled to Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday he wasn’t sure when Ohtani — who can remain on paternity leave for three days — would rejoin the team. If not in Texas it could be when the Dodgers play the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.

Ohtani also thanked the Dodgers organization and teammates, as well as his legion of fans, “for their constant support and kind words of encouragement.”