Who is Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's interpreter?

Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers after allegations he stole money from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to service illegal gambling debts. He and his alleged bookmaker are also under investigation by the IRS.

Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers after allegations he stole money from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to service illegal gambling debts. He and his alleged bookmaker are also under investigation by the IRS.

But who is Mizuhara and how did he get in a position to carry out the alleged theft from his close friend?

The 39-year-old Mizuhara is a familiar face to baseball fans as Ohtani’s companion, having interpreted for the star with mainly media since Ohtani moved to the United States in 2017.

Mizuhara even served as Ohtani’s catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels for a US$700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.

Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991 so his father could work as a chef. He attended Diamond Bar High School in eastern Los Angeles County and graduated from the University of California, Riverside, in 2007.

After college, Mizuhara was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima. He returned to Japan in 2013 to translate for English-speaking players on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. That’s where he first met Ohtani, who joined the team that same year.

After Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the team hired Mizuhara to work as his personal interpreter, and he followed the player when he joined the Dodgers.