Shohei Ohtani shares first photo of him and his wife, Japanese basketball star Mamiko Tanaka

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani on Thursday posted photos on social media that showed the two-way Japanese superstar with his wife - Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka - on an airport tarmac, marking the first time the newlyweds have been seen in public together.

"Wheels up to Seoul," read the caption of the photo published on the Dodgers' official account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The team is set to open the season March 20 against the Padres in South Korea.

The photo showed the smiling couple standing near the team's plane. Another image, posted by Ohtani himself on his Instagram account, shows them in the center of a group photo on the tarmac with others including Dodger pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

It turns out, Tanaka was in Arizona with her husband during spring training.

Ohtaini stunned the Dodgers -- and many around the world -- with his marriage announcement late last month.

"She is a Japanese woman," Ohtani said through an interpreter at the time. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about when I got married exactly, but she's a normal Japanese woman."

Ohtani gave only a few more tidbits about the relationship during a short interview on Feb. 29, saying he had known his new bride for three or four years.

Ohtani, 29, is Japan's biggest celebrity. There has been curiosity about his personal life, which he has always kept private.

"I felt like it was good timing because it was before the season," Ohtani said. "I didn't really want any distractions once the season started. I would have liked to announce it earlier, but there were some paperwork issues that (delayed) the whole process."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.