Who is Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s now former interpreter?
25 March 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers star slugger Shohei Ohtani is set to address the media for the first time Monday following the dismissal of his interpreter and close friend, Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired from the organization following reports of his alleged involvement in a Southern California gambling ring.
The reigning American League MVP, who recently inked a record-setting deal with the Dodgers this past December, has been mostly quiet following last week’s bombshell report that Mizuhara may have stolen millions from him.
Monday at 2:45 p.m., Major League Baseball’s biggest star will address the scandal from the Dodgers Interview Room at Dodger Stadium.
Television cameras and photographers will not be permitted inside for the press conference, the team announced. Instead, Ohtani’s comments will be broadcast on the MLB Network and SportsNetLA, as well as streamed live in the stadium.
Mizuhara, 39, had been Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend for several years, having met the two-way star when he was a member of a Japanese baseball club. He served as catcher for the slugger during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, accompanied him during hundreds of interviews, and planned to follow him from his previous team, the Los Angeles Angels, to their crosstown rivals in the National League.
A graduate of Diamond Bar High School and UC Riverside, Mizuhara is accused of stealing millions to cover gambling losses placed through an illegal bookmaker.
Both Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the Southern California man identified as the alleged bookmaker, are under criminal investigation by the IRS.
Betting on baseball in any way is banned by the MLB, as is using an illegal bookmaker or offshore website. Any sports bets placed in California are illegal, as the state has not legalized it.
Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into Mizuhara’s alleged involvement in sports gambling, including whether the Dodgers star was a victim of “massive theft” or a willing participant in the scheme.
Mizuhara has stated plainly that Ohtani had no involvement in any sports gambling, according to ESPN.
The “Worldwide Leader in Sports” previously sat down with Mizuhara for an exclusive interview in which he confessed to racking up gambling debts and allegedly said Ohtani had agreed to cover his debts.
Mizuhara later walked back that version of events prior to the story’s publishing, and a spokesperson for Ohtani alleged the Dodgers star was an unknowing victim taken advantage by a person he trusted.
Since joining the Dodgers for the 2024 MLB season, Ohtani has one run on three hits in the team’s first two regular season games. He made his Dodger Stadium debut Sunday evening in a 5-3 victory over his former team, notching a walk and a strikeout in two plate appearances.