Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been terminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations of illegal gambling and theft involving the Japanese baseball star.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, 39, was dismissed from the team on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN regarding his purported connections to an illegal bookmaker. The team is currently in Seoul, South Korea, as Ohtani makes his Dodgers debut, and Mizuhara was present in Los Angeles’ dugout during their season-opening victory.
Mizuhara was frequently observed conversing with Ohtani, who served as the Dodgers’ designated hitter, ostensibly discussing his at-bats using a tablet computer.
“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,” stated law firm Berk Brettler LLP on Wednesday. Sports gambling is illegal in California despite 38 states and the District of Columbia permitting some form of it.
Mizuhara is a recognizable figure to baseball enthusiasts as Ohtani’s constant companion, providing interpretation for him with the media and at other events since Ohtani’s arrival in the U.S. in 2017. He even acted as Ohtani’s catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game.
When Ohtani departed the Los Angeles Angels to sign a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also enlisted Mizuhara’s services.
The Dodgers acknowledged in a statement that they were “aware of media reports and are gathering information. The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated,” the statement read. “The team has no further comment at this time.”
On Tuesday, Mizuhara informed ESPN that his wagers were placed on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL, and college football. MLB regulations prohibit players and team personnel from betting— even legally— on baseball and also forbid betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara assured ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule… We have a meeting about that in spring training.” The Associated Press was unable to immediately reach Mizuhara for comment on Wednesday.
Mizuhara, born in Japan, relocated 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.
Following college, Mizuhara was employed by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima. In 2013, he returned to Japan to interpret for English-speaking players on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, where he initially encountered Ohtani, who joined the team that same year.
After Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the team engaged Mizuhara to serve as his interpreter. ESPN reported that Mizuhara disclosed to the outlet this week that he received annual compensation ranging between $300,000 and $500,000.
ESPN stated it conversed with Mizuhara on Tuesday night, during which the interpreter claimed that Ohtani settled his gambling debts at Mizuhara’s request. However, after Ohtani’s attorneys issued a statement asserting that the player was a victim of theft, ESPN reported that Mizuhara altered his account on Wednesday, asserting that Ohtani was unaware of the gambling debts and had not transferred any funds to bookmakers.
Mizuhara mentioned that he accumulated over $1 million in debt by the conclusion of 2022, with his losses mounting thereafter.
“I’m terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara admitted. “I mean, I dug myself a hole, and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball effect.”
This would mark the most significant gambling scandal in baseball since Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban in 1989 following an investigation by lawyer John Dowd for MLB, which found that Rose had placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team.
The MLB gambling policy, posted in every locker room, prohibits players and team personnel from wagering— even legally— on baseball and also prohibits betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers. Betting on baseball carries a one-year ban from the sport as punishment. The penalty for illegally betting on other sports is at the discretion of the commissioner.
Ohtani’s fame has transcended borders, even as the two-way player has largely shied away from the media. The news of his recent marriage to Mamiko Tanaka surprised fans from Japan to the U.S. While he underwent surgery on his right elbow last September and will not pitch this season, he will contribute as a designated hitter, with the possibility of playing in the field.
He went 2 for 5 with an RBI in his debut game, the season opener against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.
