Who is Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizhura? Everything we know
Ippei Mizuhara made a name for himself working as an interpreter in the baseball world, but his career shot to a new level when he paired with Los Angeles Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani.
Now he's is at the center of a major MLB scandal: Mizuhara has been fired as Ohtani's attorneys say the athlete was the victim of a “massive theft” in a case tied to sports gambling.
While details are still coming to light, here's everything we know about Mizuhara, 39.
Mizuhara's career
Born in Japan and raised in Los Angeles County, Mizuhara started his career by working for the Boston Red Sox, hired to interpret for a Japanese pitcher, The Associated Press reported.
He then went to Japan to work as an interpreter for the Hokkaidō Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, where he met Ohtani, who joined the team as a rookie in 2013, Nippon.com reported.
When Ohtani, already on the rise as a coveted two-way player who excelled at pitching and hitting, signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, he brought Mizuhara along with him.
Ohtani went on to shatter records and garner a massive fan base — and he's already widely considered one of the greatest players in baseball history at the ripe age of 29.
Fans also cherished the special bond between Ohtani and his interpreter, often seen side by side during news conferences, at restaurant outings and playing catch during pregame warmups. Mizuhara also played catcher for Ohtani during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
Mizuhara told Nippon.com that he’s more than an interpreter for Ohtani; he is also a training partner. And off the field, they'd hang out and play video games together, he said.
“My first priority is to help create an environment where he can concentrate on baseball,” he told the outlet. “We’re kind of like friends ... but more like partners.”
Former Angels Manager Joe Maddon told Kyodo News in 2021 that the baseball extraordinaire and his interpreter went together like “peanut butter and jelly.”
In December 2023, Ohtani made history by signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers — the most lucrative contract the sport has ever seen. Naturally, the club also hired Mizuhara to keep the duo together.
ESPN reported that Mizuhara told the outlet he had been paid between $300,000 and $500,000 annually.
Million-dollar debt and illegal gambling allegations
This week's scandal first surfaced via reports by The Los Angeles Times and ESPN.
ESPN reported that Mizuhara was fired after media questions that centered on "at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s bank account" to a bookmaking operation in Southern California that's under federal investigation. ESPN said the claims came from multiple unnamed sources.
The Dodgers said Wednesday the team was "aware of media reports and are gathering information," and confirmed Mizuhara was terminated.
Law firm Berk Brettler LLP, attorneys for Ohtani, said in a statement: “In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
NBC News has not independently confirmed those details.
Mizuhara had given ESPN two conflicting stories about what happened regarding the debt. On Tuesday, he told the outlet he incurred the debts betting on the NBA, NFL, college football and international soccer — but never on baseball, which is prohibited by MLB rules. He said that Ohtani decided to pay the debt off for him, and stressed, “Shohei had zero involvement in betting.”
Mizuhara then apparently changed his story to ESPN on Wednesday. He said Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and that Ohtani had not transferred money to the bookmaker.
NBC News has contacted the Dodgers, representatives for Ohtani and Mizuhara seeking further comment.
