Report: Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Had False Biography

Erin WalshMarch 24, 2024

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

The biggest story entering the 2024 Major League Baseball season involves Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, and more information continues to come to light amid a gambling scandal involving the two.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Blum, there are several inaccuracies in Mizuhara’s publicly available biography.

During Ohtani’s tenure with the Los Angeles Angels, Mizuhara was listed in the team’s media guide as having graduated from the University of California, Riverside, in 2007. However the university denied that Mizuhara ever attended the school.

“Our university records do not show a student by the name of Ippei Mizuhara having attended UC Riverside,” a school spokesman told The Athletic.

The university did not comment on whether it was possible Mizuhara attended the school under a different or similar name, according to Blum.

Additionally, multiple reports stated Mizuhara served as Hideki Okajima’s interpreter with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. However, the Red Sox denied that Mizuhara ever worked for them or Okajima during his time with the team.

“We are reaching out to all of you because of reports in various outlets stating that Ippei Mizuhara worked for the Red Sox as an interpreter, which is incorrect,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher’s time with the team. Please know that we have thoroughly checked our files to ensure we are providing accurate information.”

According to archives from the Boston Globe, Ryo Shinkawa served as Okajima’s interpreter during his Red Sox tenure and the team’s media guide lists two people as team interpreters, neither being Mizuhara, per Blum.

Any information on Mizuhara prior to 2018 when Ohtani signed with the Angels was not found on two different databases searched by The Athletic, according to Blum.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wednesday after representatives of Ohtani alleged he stole more than $4 million from the Japanese phenom to cover his gambling debts. Mizuhara allegedly wired money in Ohtani’s name to an alleged illegal bookmaking operation run by Matthew Bowyer that is under federal investigation.

Mizuhara initially told ESPN that Ohtani agreed to pay off his gambling losses, but a spokesperson for Ohtani said the star was unaware of his former interpreter’s gambling activity.

Mizuhara later told ESPN’s Tisha Thompson that Ohtani had “zero involvement in betting.”

MLB announced earlier this week that it is investigating the allegations. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reported that Ohtani will remain on the Dodgers active roster during the investigation “unless something dramatic happens.”