The Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara controversy is in full throttle. Ohtani and his longtime interpreter are under the limelight after Mizuhara’s gambling activity led to his firing by the Los Angeles Dodgers a few weeks ago. It’s situations like this where former manager and World Series champion Joe Maddon has questions. Maddon is the latest to weigh in on the investigation. It’s understanding why he would have something to say. After all, Maddon did manage Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels from 2020 until his firing in June 2022.
Maddon was a guest on the latest episode of the Starkville podcast. He shared his thoughts on the matter with Jayson Stark and co-host Doug Glanville.
Joe Maddon Trying to Make Sense of the Controversy
“When I read all of this, heard all this, I just did not want to believe any of it,” Maddon told Stark and Glanville. “The fact that Ippei would be disloyal to Shohei was, like, really a thought I could not even fathom and never imagined. … And I was upset. I was viscerally upset about the whole thing.”
Maddon is just as baffled as anyone else. When he exchanged conversations with Ohtani all of it came through Mizuhara as Maddon said he and the two-time American League MVP’s interpreter needed to “converse daily.” The constant communication brought them closer together. Maddon mentioned that Ohtani and Mizuhara were “best friends” and “inseparable”. He explained that all of Ohtani’s affairs went through the interpreter and his agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports.
“Mizuhara was my liaison, my connection to Shohei. So I had a great relationship with the guy.”
Does Joe Maddon Believe Mizuhara Had Access to Ohtani’s Bank Account?
“I absolutely can see that as being part of it,” Maddon said. “The part that’s somewhat of a stretch is … that, (with) those kinds of transactions, the agency would not be aware of that.”
Maddon referenced the $4.5 million when he replied “those kinds of actions” in which payments were allegedly wired from Ohtani’s bank account to Mathew Bowyer, an alleged bookmaker under federal investigation. When Maddon was asked if Ohtani had people handle his day-to-day business off the field, he replied:
“It was always Ippei. I never saw (anyone else), other than Nez, his agent.”
Mizuhara’s Inaccuracies Reach the Public Eye
Questions surrounding Ohtani’s former interpreter have continually grown. Mizuhara is facing scrutiny for revealing that key points of his publicly available biography appear to be exaggerated or inaccurate. The Angels media guide listed Mizuhara as a graduate of the University of California, River in 2007. Then, there was the time he spent spring training in 2012 with the New York Yankees as an interpreter for pitcher Hideki Okajima. Multiple news reports highlighted that Mizhuara served as Okajima’s interpreter in 2010 with the Boston Red Sox, where he reportedly got his first opportunity in the majors.
However, NBC Los Angeles first reported that Mizuhara never attended the school, not even graduating. Multiple news reports showed that Okajima failed a physical on February 17, 2012. This comes days before spring training, which led the Yankees to release him. But the Angels media guide stated that he “served as an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during Yankees Spring Training in 2012.”
Ohtani Saddened and Shocked by the Allegations
On March 25, Ohtani first made public comments about the recent gambling revelations. He denied making any illegal bets on sports or ever paying to an illegal bookmaker.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sport,” Ohtani said when he addressed the scandal for the first time. He went as far as confirming the timeline of events that his representatives had established. Ohtani said he did not learn about Mizuhara’s gambling addiction until a clubhouse meeting after a game in Korea on March 20. There’s players in baseball who have interpreters, but on the same level as Ohtani. He had an interpreter who worked as a trainer, coach and best friend in addition to translating his interactions with the media. Ohtani accused Muzihara publicly of stealing. He explained that he was hurt that someone he considered a friend would steal from him and do so behind his back.
Gambling is illegal in California. Although Ohtani did not place bets, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani paid off his debts. Actions like that could be a violation of California state law. It’s illegal for someone to “forward” money related to sports gambling. The penalty for the misdemeanor, which applies to first-time offenders, is up to one year in prison, or a fine, or both.
Main Photo: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
