Shohei Ohtani announces the birth of his child in grand style.

The Japanese professional baseball player, who rarely misses games, popped up online with an explanation as to why he was missing in action at the Dodgers game versus the Baltimore Orioles, and this adorable tiny human should take the blame.

Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who is a former professional basketball player, tied the knot in 2024 in a private, family-only wedding.

Shohei Ohtani And Mamiko Tanaka Are Now Parents Of Two Kids

The baseball player shared the news on Saturday, June 20, that he and Tanaka have welcomed their second baby together. Ohtani disclosed the good news in an Instagram post of a baby swaddled in a blue blanket, although they kept the name and gender a top secret.

He described his excitement at the new development in his family, while thanking everyone who has been a part of their parenthood journey. Fans had rightfully noticed his absence in the squad for the Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, June 19.

However, the team officially announced that he was away from the team on paternity leave but is expected to be back with the squad during the weekend. 

The Baseball Star’s Celebratory Post Earned Thousands Of Congratulatory Responses

The 31-year-old’s heartwarming post received equally heartwarming reactions in the comments from their friends and loved ones. “Both babies born on the 19th? Baby girl on April 19, 2025, and baby boy on June 19, 2026. Soooo cute,” one person wrote.

Another set of commenters wished the couple a lifetime of happiness as they continue their voyage together with their new bundle of joy. It was all love in the comment section with over 15,000 fans and followers expressing their sincere good wishes for the latest parents.

Ohtani and Tanaka met for the first time at a training facility in Japan between 2020 and 2021. The duo got engaged in 2023 and tied the knot in 2024. Throughout the duration of their relationship, Ohtani and Tanaka kept things under wraps, with the baseball star hiding the former basketballer’s identity for a while.

Shohei Ohtani’s History Of Injuries And Career Pauses

Aside from the birth of his child causing him to miss the game, Ohtani was also absent in a few appearances due to personal matters and precautionary rest. Earlier in the month, the player’s inflamed knee caused him to be dropped from the lineup against the Chicago White Sox.

He also missed games against the San Francisco Giants during a slump in the middle of May. Ohtani also suffered an injury in 2019, prompting left knee surgery to correct a congenital bipartite patella condition.

In 2020, the athlete was forced to shut down his pitching duties after just 2 starts in 2020, although that season was shortened due to the pandemic. Ohtani ended his pitching season in August 2023 after suffering from a second UCL tear and an oblique strain. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers Star Made A Big Property Purchase In 2024

More than two years ago, the MLB star moved into a high-class Los Angeles area where he purchased a modern mansion in La Cañada Flintridge for nearly $8 million. As stated by The Blast, Ohtani’s big buy comes after he signed a major ten-year $700 million contract with the L.A. Dodgers five months ago. 

It can be argued that the baseball player purchased the home for comfort’s sake, as it is located about 13 miles from Dodger Stadium, giving him about 20 minutes to get to the location.

The seller, comedian Adam Carolla, initially listed the property last summer for $8.99 million, but an October price reduction lowered it to $8.35 million. 

The comedian reportedly bought the property for $7.327 million in 2018, and he opted to dispose of the home after his divorce from Lynette Paradise. The three-story home, built in 2023, boasts five bedrooms and nearly 7 bathrooms with a primary suite completed with a balcony and spa tub.

Shohei Ohtani Pulled A Triple On His Baseball MVP Honors  

The father-of-two proved in 2024 that his designated position as hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers is no fluke when he became the first full-time designated hitter to be unanimously voted as the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

As reported by The Blast, he received the coveted award in November 2024, adding to the previous two he won while playing for the Los Angeles Angels as a pitcher and a hitter.

The baseball player joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only player to earn MVP in both the AL and NL. Ohtani also becomes the first player to win the award unanimously three times.

During the athlete’s first season with the Dodgers, he became the first big leaguer to clinch 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on the birth of his second child!

The Shohei Ohtani Makes Rare Move Of Missing A Dodgers’ Game As His Family Grows first appeared on The Blast

Wyndham Clark keeps leaving his mark on Shinnecock Hills. He finished off the lowest opening round in a U.S. Open on this fearsome course Friday morning, and then he delivered two big birdie putts and set the 36-hole standard and build a four-shot lead going into the weekend.

With so much chaos and cringing around him, Clark played a steady hand — a far cry from where he was at the U.S. Open last year when he missed the cut and smashed up a locker at storied Oakmont.

His last act was a 35-foot birdie putt down the slope on the 18th green that dropped for a 1-under 69. That put him at 7-under 133, one shot better than Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama at the halfway point in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills.

And he thinks he could be better.

“I really felt like I could be in double digits (under par),” Clark said. “But you know, the great thing about that is I didn’t feel like I had my best, and I still am leading as of right now. Hopefully, I can bring my A-game on the weekend.”

Xander Schauffele, with the best U.S. Open record of anyone without a U.S. Open title over the last 10 years, had a 66 to finish at 137 along with Matt Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. Open champion who birdied two of his last three holes to salvage a 70.

They were joined at 137 in the afternoon, when the course began to dry, by Sam Stevens (69) and Tom Kim (67).

Scottie Scheffler still has the career Grand Slam in his sights. He missed only two fairways and hit his last 10 greens for a 68 that left him the group at 140, along with Rory McIlroy (71) who was closing in on Clark until starting the back nine with three straight bogeys.

Both feel they are right in the thick of it, though so much depends on Clark and what the USGA has in mind for a Shinnecock course that only figures to get drier, faster and scarier over the next two days.

“If there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” McIlroy said.

It’s a better chance than Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, the two biggest stars from LIV Golf who missed the cut. DeChambeau left early from his third straight major.

The shocker was Rahm, a runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. He didn’t make a bogey until his 21st hole. But he shot 41 on the back nine for a 78 to match his highest score in a U.S. Open, also at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.

The cut came at 4-over 144.

The 10 players who remained under par was one short of the record for Shinnecock in 2004. That was the year the field averaged 78.7 in the final round.

The most remarkable day belonged to Joaquin Niemann. He made a 9 on No. 6 — his 15th and final hole of the fog-delayed first round that was halted by darkness — only for it to become an 11 when the USGA penalized two shots for bad behavior.

Niemann hit two drives off the property, chopped his way up the fairway and finally lost it by heaving his club. The majors are cracking down on behavior this year — the Masters was the first to use the policy this year — and the USGA deemed it serious enough to skip the warning and go straight to the harsh two-shot penalty.

Niemann headed out for his second round, made five birdies in six holes and shot 65 to make it to the weekend at 3-over 143. It was the first time in 97 years at the U.S. Open someone made 10 or worse in a U.S. Open and still make the cut.

“All the frustration that came inside me and had my club in my hand, and I couldn’t resist to throw it away,” Niemann said. “There was no people, obviously. No one there. I’m not proud of it, but yeah, sometimes all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated. And that was me there.”

Collin Morikawa also shot 65 to match Niemann for the low score Friday, only his performance put him in sixth place, five shots behind. Justin Thomas and Sam Burns, who played in the final group at the U.S. Open last year, were in the group of players at 139.

The wind wasn’t as strong as Thursday, and while the course was still relatively soft by U.S. Open standards — greens were being sprayed in the early morning — the sun was out and test was getting a little bit tougher.

It was a long day for Clark and the other finishers because they had to return at 6:35 a.m. to resume the first round — 10 hours after they walked off the course.

Clark finished with two pars for a 64, the lowest start ever for a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and had a two-shot lead. He doubled that, and no one could catch him.

He was on a heater coming into Shinnecock Hills, winning The CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a 60 in the final round, contending in the Memorial and the Canadian Open the last two weeks. Frustration peaked a year ago at Oakmont and in the months that followed. Now, he appears to be more comfortable with each day.

“Momentum is a huge thing in golf, and I feel like I have it right now,” Clark said.

Schauffele has seven top 10s in his nine U.S. Open appearances, a Californian who keeps his cool even amid a tough test.

“It’s a brutal week,” Schauffele said. “Everyone watching at home wants to see guys shooting in the 80s and doing crazy things. I get it. You know, it’s once a year you get to see some carnage, and it’s at a U.S. Open. Try to embrace it as much as you can.”

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This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

Recently departed Seattle Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis is coming back to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

Last season, Francis, 63, was moved up to president of hockey operations after spending six years as the Seattle Kraken’s first franchise general manager. However, rumors of diverging opinions on key matters between him and general manager Jason Botterill persisted, and in April, Francis announced he would step down as president.

Friday, the Penguins announced Francis would rejoin the organization as Special Advisor, Hockey Operations to president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas. With the Penguins, Francis won two Stanley Cups (1991, 1992) as a player and served as captain following Mario Lemieux’s retirement for the 1997-98 season.

Francis played for the Penguins from 1991 through the ’98 season.

According to the Penguins’ press release, Francis will be involved in improving the organization’s front office operations.

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