Ippei Mizuhara has garnered immense fame for acting as Shohei Ohtani’s trusted confidante for six years now. From helping the two-way phenom in practices to playing his guide and caregiver during his recoveries, Ippei gives his all when it comes to the question of keeping Ohtani’s career blooming at its peak. However, what many fans of Shotime may not be aware of is that Ippei-san was a big-time believer in the Unicorn’s caliber, even before the superstar clinched two MVPs while playing in the majors.

During their stay in the Angels’ clubhouse, Mizuhara once reflected back to Ohtani’s NPB days. Ippei-san had worked side by side with Shotime as his team’s official Japanese-Anglo interpreter for their English-speaking members. Although he did not work for the two-way phenom himself back then, he did watch the legend play for five years, which makes for solid ground for the faith he put in his future client. A Bally Sports interview that happened years ago reflected that!

Ippei-san was well aware of Shohei Ohtani’s skills, way before Shotime proved the depths of them

Ippei commented about his and Shotime’s daily routine in the interview. When he was asked by the reporter, “Are you surprised at the success he’s had both on the plate and the mound so far?” Mizuhara was prompt to answer with a quick negative.

Considering that he has watched Shohei Ohtani play for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for a long time, it was only natural for him to know the extent of Shotime’s talent, which made space for his trust in the slugger’s multipotential skills. Ippei-san didn’t stop at just that, though.

“I knew he had what it takes,” the linguist was seen musing about his player’s skills with a glint of pride adorning his eyes before stating, “I didn’t think he was gonna be this good! But I knew, eventually, he was gonna be able to adapt and perform well.” The said performance was reflected in Shotime’s NPB days before he was named MVP of the year twice in the MLB!

Watch This Story: Breaking Down The Details Of Ippei Mizuhara: The Bridge Between The Japanese Phenom Shohei Ohtani And America

Shotime: Pre-and-post-NPB days

Shohei Ohtani won the AL MVP of the year award two times while playing in MLB: once in 2021, then again this year. He also clinched the World Baseball Classic MVP while playing for Team Japan in this season’s games. His NPB Awards, although less known than the MLB ones, portray the powerhouse that is Shohei “Two-Way” Ohtani.

Ohtani became an NPB All-Star for all five seasons he played for the fighters. A Japan World Series and Pacific League Champion of 2016, he also won the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize twice in 2016 and 2018—an award synonymous with other Japanese MLB legends like Ichiro Suzuki.

Read More: As Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter, Did Ippei Mizuhara Ever Play Baseball?

As Shotime keeps on dazzling his fans with his powerful stance and equivalent pitching and hitting skills, the fans cannot wait to watch him enter the 2024 games alongside his biggest supporter and companion, Ippei Mizuhara, in the Dodgers clubhouse!