For Shohei Ohtani, 2024 was a year filled not only with extraordinary baseball achievements, but also with major personal changes.

The biggest news was his marriage to Mamiko Tanaka. Although the timing differed slightly from the “marriage at 26” goal he had written in his famous high school life plan sheet, Ohtani had finally found a lifelong partner.

He had also begun living with his beloved dog Decoy (known in Japan as Dekopin), whom he started raising the previous year. After spending many years living alone and devoting nearly everything to baseball, Ohtani suddenly found himself sharing his daily life with both a wife and a pet he deeply cared about.

Under normal circumstances, this should have been one of the happiest and most refreshing periods of his life — the beginning of a new chapter with a new team and a new family.

But that happiness was overshadowed by the shocking scandal involving Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime interpreter who had once seemed inseparable from Ohtani.

Mizuhara not only stole large amounts of money from him over an extended period of time, but also created a situation in which Ohtani himself briefly came under suspicion for illegal gambling involvement.

At one point, the controversy became so serious that people feared it could even threaten Ohtani’s playing career.

Ohtani later explained that he tried to separate his private troubles from baseball as much as possible.

Still, it became clear how important the presence of his wife and dog had become during that difficult time.

Reflecting on those emotionally exhausting weeks, Ohtani said:

“A lot has happened over the past few weeks, so having someone beside me made a huge difference. In that sense, there were definitely moments when I was really glad she was there.”

It was a quiet and indirect way of expressing gratitude, but the meaning was unmistakable.

Even for someone as mentally strong and disciplined as Ohtani, emotional support matters.

The quote reveals that behind his historic performances and calm public image was a person who found real comfort and stability in family during one of the most turbulent periods of his life.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Number 1105 p.33