What to Make of Shohei and Ippei
So many unanswered questions about the gambling scandal that has rocked MLB
Admittedly, I have no real skin in this game. All of you who know me (at least the past decade of my existence) know that I have turned myself into a Hanshin Tigers nerd. I started a blog in 2014, a podcast in 2015, got featured in the papers in 2017, received a digital column in April 2018, passed Level 1 (top tier) of the Tigers Proficiency Test in August 2018, and made my TV debut in 2020. Since then, various forms of the above have kept me busier than the average Tigers fan.
But perhaps not many of you know that I have also started to finally see this crazy fandom as more than the hobby of a man in a midlife crisis. It has become closely connected to my professional life, too. I am no linguist, nor am I a professional interpreter/translator, but I have started to conduct research on the topic, specifically the men who facilitate communication for Japanese Major Leaguers. In recent months, I have talked to people who have helped foreigners on both sides of the baseball ocean.
My ultimate goal, which I stated to anyone who listened to my ramblings about this newfound passion, was to talk with Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. He was, after all, the gold standard by which all interpreters would be measured.
Mizuhara went beyond aiding Ohtani get through conversations and meetings. He was a butler of sorts, and even a best friend to the two-way player who wanted nothing but to be able to focus on baseball.
If you have been living under a rock (or just don’t pay baseball any mind), here’s a brief synopsis of what has gone down in the past week.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (Ohtani’s new team) and the San Diego Padres traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to open the MLB season with two regular-season games against each other. They were played on March 20 and 21 (local time).
The Dodgers, especially Ohtani, entered the country to great pomp and circumstance.
Hours earlier, when they boarded the flight from LA, the team’s social media crew posted photos of Ohtani with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka (former pro basketball player).
Ohtani had only announced his marriage days earlier (to the whole world’s surprise), and did all he could to guard her identity from the Japanese media.
The Dodgers won the first game, 5-2, with Ohtani collecting a hit, and RBI, and a stolen base.
Unbeknownst to Ohtani (and probably to most of the Dodgers), Mizuhara had been on the phone with ESPN before the game, doing a 90-minute interview.
During the game, Mizuhara and Ohtani were in the dugout together, talking together jovially.
After the game behind closed doors, the team announced that some big news was about to drop, and it wasn’t good.
Mizuhara confessed to a gambling addiction, but that was just the introduction of his speech and the story that would soon hit the press.
Mizuhara had racked up an estimated $4.5 million in debt with a California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who was under investigation for running an illegal gambling operation in the state (where gambling is not legalized).
Mizuhara says he never gambled on baseball (which would have much heavier consequences), but only on international soccer, NBA basketball, NFL football, and college football.
The money was said to have been wired to Bowyer from Ohtani’s account in $500,000 increments over the past 18 months.
Bowyer’s attorney has said that her client has never had any contact whatsoever with Ohtani. In other words, despite the transfers having come out of Ohtani’s account, the money was not a payment for Ohtani’s gambling losses.
Bowyer had allegedly been using Ohtani’s name (as a connection) to gain credence and improve his brand name.
Mizuhara initially told ESPN that the money transfers were made under Ohtani’s supervision and that he had knowledge of the situation. It was said that he was bailing his friend out but making him promise to never gamble again.
It has been reported that Ohtani listened to Mizuhara talk about the situation in the locker room and received interpretation from a different team interpreter, and that he was surprised at what he heard.
When Ohtani’s legal team caught wind of Mizuhara’s initial story, they denied it and said that Ohtani was the victim of massive fraud.
Mizuhara later talked with the same ESPN reporter again, was asked if he had lied the day before, and he said yes. He flipped his narrative, saying that Ohtani had no knowledge whatsoever of his gambling addiction, the debt he had incurred, and the money transfers from his own account.
Game 2 took place with many a dark shadow cast over the festivities. Fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, making his major league debut after signing a 12-year, $300-million contract in the offseason, surrendered five runs in the first inning and was yanked. The Padres won 15-11, and Ohtani recorded a hit and had three fly balls caught at the fence.
MLB announced it would formally investigate Mizuhara and Ohtani to ascertain whether gambling took place on baseball games and determine the degree of Ohtani’s involvement.
Findings to date are: (1) Mizuhara did not graduate from the University of California Riverside in 2007 as was supposedly written in his bio on the Angels and Dodgers website. The school says there is no record of him graduating or even attending the institution; and (2) Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox as Hideki Okajima’s interpreter in 2010, as had been posted online in various places.
NOTE: I am guessing the former was a fabrication, and that the latter was an internet mistake. Several news sources, plus fans who follow the New York Yankees closely, affirm that Okajima and Mizuhara met and worked together in early 2012 when Okajima had a minor league deal with the Yankees. When Okajima failed his physical, he was released and Mizuhara was no longer needed.
Shohei unfollowed Mizuhara on Instagram and later deleted every photo from his page that showed him with Mizuhara.
This entire story is much more convoluted than what I have written here, and I am guessing there is still a LOT that will surface as investigations continue. One thing we know is that Shohei Ohtani will hold a press conference tomorrow (March 26) and will address this situation in his own way and on his own terms. However, given how he has made media statements so far in his career, I do not expect this to be too revealing. It will take a formal investigation in which he is under oath or something, for him to divulge anything interesting.
I have questions and I want answers. Some of you might be able to supply answers, but maybe you also have the same questions.
Why did Ohtani’s team first say that Mizuhara’s initial response - that Ohtani was present when money was transferred, and that he was bailing out a friend in need - was true on Wednesday but false on Thursday?
My guess is, it probably was true and they came to their senses a day later, realizing that this implicated Ohtani in illegal, punishable behavior. The alternative is that they first questioned Mizuhara, heard his side and presented it, and upon attempting to corroborate the story with Ohtani, were told that story was 100% untrue.
Lots of experts are saying that banks do not allow such high amounts of money to be transferred without confirming first with the account holder. In other words, Mizuhara could not have done this without Ohtani knowing. One source said it would be “almost impossible” - but that leaves a sliver of wiggle room. Exactly what scenarios make it possible?
Again, it seems more likely than not that Ohtani was in the know. I see one escape route for Mizuhara in this, but I am not sure it plays out. Maybe he told Ohtani about the gambling addiction and the debts, but that the money would be wired into Mizuhara’s own personal account, and not go to Bowyer directly. Each transfer had the word “loan” in the memo blank. Could Mizuhara have told Ohtani the money was a loan to him, and not a direct payment to Bowyer? This contradicts what Mizuhara said in the first place, but then again, the man has been known to lie and deceive. If this improbable scenario were true, it would at least get Ohtani off the hook, as he would have been duped and not have knowingly been involved in illegal gambling activities.
Bowyer himself was said to be out of his mind and not playing by the rules. He would likely know that Mizuhara did not have enough capital to cover millions of dollars in gambling losses. After all, it does not stretch one’s imagination to believe that interpreters are not millionaires. Keep in mind, too, that most of this debt was incurred before Ohtani’s $700-million deal. Bowyer would have had to believe the debts could be covered by Ohtani. If not, why would he have allowed the interpreter to go that deep into debt? So that’s my question. Why?
Once again, we have to go back to the idea that Bowyer was using Ohtani’s name in conversations with others to drum up more business. The lawyer said Bowyer had never spoken (or communicated via text or anything) with Ohtani, so he was obviously stretching the truth when using Ohtani’s name as a marketing tool. Or did he believe that the betting was a combination of Mizuhara and Ohtani placing wagers?
Also, did Bowyer really have enough balls to use Ohtani’s name, not worrying for a second about potential whistleblowers? Anyone with a grain of conscience (or just a desire to be an infamous tattletale) could have blown the story wide open, which would have not only sunk Ohtani, but also imprisoned Bowyer… no?
If Ohtani knew about Mizuhara’s gambling addiction and the $4.5 million that had been transferred out of his account, would he have kept Mizuhara as his interpreter when he signed with the Dodgers? Would you? Would Ohtani have been able to joke around with Mizuhara in the dugout during the first game? Was the first he heard of this during the post-game meeting behind closed doors, hearing Mizuhara explain it in English and having it interpreted to him by the team’s other interpreter? REALLY?
OK, I have rambled long enough. Here are just some of the stories I have read and videos I have watched to try to piece this all together.
Yahoo News: Major holes poked in Ippei Mizuhara’s pre-Ohtani resume
Forbes: Why it will be difficult for Shohei Ohtani to stay clean in the gambling scandal
Share your thoughts in the comments. Let’s dialogue. I can’t stop thinking about this case and welcome conversation here.
This is about as comprehensive a piece as anything I’ve read on this developing story so far. Well done!
I think at the very least Ohtani knew about Mizuhara’s gambling problem and was genuinely trying to help him out. The team dropped the ball (pun intended) by making a quick statement and then doubling back. I don’t believe Ohtani was directly involved in the gambling per se, but this puts a stain on his stellar image and draws a lot of negative attention to the sport. I am curious as to how the MLB will handle this. I have a feeling they will help protect Ohtani for the sake of the $$$, but either way not what we needed to start off this season. 😔