Public biographies for Shohei Ohtani’s scandal-plagued ex-interpreter included multiple inaccuracies about his résumé, according to reports, adding another strange wrinkle to a saga involving allegations of “massive theft.”
In past editions of the Los Angeles Angels media guide, Ippei Mizuhara was said to have attended the University of California, Riverside, and to have served as reliever Hideki Okajima’s interpreter at Yankees spring training in 2012, according to The Athletic.
A spokesman for the university, however, told The Athletic that its “records do not show a student by the name of Ippei Mizuhara having attended UC Riverside.”
Okajima, meanwhile, was released from a minor-league deal with the Yankees in February 2012 due to a failed physical, with ESPN reporting at the time that the left-hander would not attend spring training. It’s unclear if Mizuhara worked with Okajima before then.
An alumni profile published last July by Southern California’s Diamond Bar High School claimed Mizuhara worked as Okajima’s interpreter with the Boston Red Sox, which the team refutes.
“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,” the Red Sox told outlets including The Athletic last week. “Please know that we have thoroughly checked our files to ensure we are providing accurate information.”
The Japanese-born Okajima pitched for Boston from 2007-11.
The résumé scrutiny ensued after Mizuhara claimed to ESPN on Tuesday that Ohtani had agreed to pay off the interpreter’s gambling debts, which were reported to be at least $4.5 million. But before ESPN published the interview, Ohtani’s lawyers issued their theft allegation on Wednesday.
“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,” the law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement.
Mizuhara then told ESPN he was unable to comment when asked if he had been accused of theft. In his initial interview with the outlet, Mizuhara claimed Ohtani “had zero involvement in betting.”
Mizuhara, 39, worked with Ohtani, 29, with the Angels and then with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who confirmed the interpreter had been fired but haven’t otherwise commented.
Ohtani also hasn’t commented. Multiple Dodgers public relations staffers reportedly stood at his locker after Thursday’s loss to the San Diego Padres at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome.
Ohtani, a hitting-and-pitching sensation who won two American League MVPs in six seasons with the Angels, joined the Dodgers in the offseason on a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money.
He and Mizuhara shared a laugh during the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game in Seoul, a moment captured on the SportsNet LA broadcast. The theft allegations surfaced later that day.
“I’m just shocked, and I’m as curious as anyone to see what comes out,” Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak, who played with Ohtani, told USA Today. “I have zero idea what’s going to transpire, or what has transpired over how many years. But great friends, great people. Ippei was as part of the team as anyone else.”
