Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter accused of ‘massive theft’: Everything we know

Here's the thing about the Milkshake Duck. It can come for anyone. Even the ones you least expect.

For those who don't know, a Milkshake Duck is a cultural phenomenon whereby the image of a beloved figure is marred by something problematic.

In the case of Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's long-time interpreter. It fits.

In a shocking development, the Dodgers fired Mizuhara and Ohtani's lawyers accused him of a "massive theft," according to the Los Angeles Times.

What is Shohei Ohtani's interpreter accused of?

The Times lays out how federal investigators were looking into an allegedly illegal bookmaker named Mathew Bowyer. Mizuhara allegedly placed bets with Bowyer.

The media actually sparked Ohtani's representatives to look into Mizuhara's actions after inquiries about Ohtani's connections to the Bowyer case.

What they allegedly found was "millions of dollars" in theft, according to the Times' sources.

But it's more complicated than that.

ESPN's Tisha Thompson revealed the network had been working on a story about the gambling connection, complete with a lengthy interview with Mizuhara. He and an Ohtani representative initially claimed that $4.5 million had been transferred to cover the interpreter's gambling debt.

Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday, Ohtani's team changed course and accused Mizuhara of the theft.

Who is Ippei Mizuhara?

Mizuhara had been Ohtani's interpreter for the entirety of his time in MLB. He was hired by the Angels when the two-way star first joined the team in 2017. There was hardly any time you would see Ohtani without Mizuhara as his shadow.

He was more than just an interpreter too. He would catch Ohtani's bullpen sessions and even caught for him at the 2021 Home Run Derby.

The two seemed close. At least close enough that when Ohtani told Dodgers reporters, "We're not friends or anything, we're business partners," it was done so with a laugh. It was a joke.

But friends don't steal millions of dollars from each other.

What comes next for Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara?

Mizuhara, who was in South Korea with the Dodgers for the Seoul Series, has been fired. He insisted to ESPN that he never bet on baseball.

Ohtani's representaties say the allegedly illegal bookie "never met, spoke with, or texted, or had contact in any way with Shohei Ohtani."

MLB will surely be looking into all of this.

There were questions over a clause in Ohtani's contract that gives him the opportunity to opt out if specific figures leave the Dodgers. However, Mizuhara was not named among those people.

This will not impact Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the other Japanese star who signed with the Dodgers this year. He has his own interpreter, per Jon Heyman.

As for Bowyer, he has not been charged with a crime as of yet.