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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani made a surprise announcement on Instagram posting he is married, and making it clear Thursday he is starting two new chapters of his life.
Ohtani wrote on Thursday on Instagram in Japanese: "The season is approaching but I would like to announce to everyone that I have gotten married."
Ohtani's new wife is a "Japanese woman" and he would reveal more about her and his marriage in a future interview, ABC News is reporting. Ohtani did not identify her. The Dodgers are in spring training in Arizona.
The 29-year-old Ohtani is one of baseball's biggest stars, in Japan and the United States, but he keeps his personal life private. He was signed as a free agent by the Dodgers to a record-breaking $700 million contract and spent the first part of his major league career with the Los Angeles Angels.
"I began a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers, but I also have started a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me," Ohtani wrote on Instagram.
The post also included a photo of his dog Dekopin, which he also calls Decoy. He asked for the media to resist conducing unauthorized interviews about his marriage.
He wrote: "We hope the two of us -- and one animal -- will work together."
The news broke in the middle of the night in California, and late afternoon in Japan where it was immediately the top news item on local television.