More Than Just an Interpreter: Ippei Mizuhara’s Pivotal Role in Shohei Ohtani’s Phenomenal Career

It has been six years of companionship between the world’s best baseball player and his most trusted confidante. For Ippei Mizuhara, the bond he has fostered with Shohei Ohtani runs deeper than what is assumed by most. Regarded as one of the most proficient interpreters in MLB, Mizuhara stays by Shotime’s side all year, doing his level best to make life convenient for the ace and his career of choice. Simply put, he’s a friend like no other.

From baseball practices to keeping Shotime’s feelings intact behind his translated words, Mizuhara has seldom failed to prove the limitlessness of his company—a factor that MLB is not quite familiar with witnessing in the interpreters they have hired to date. There is just something about the man that makes him worlds apart from his contemporaries.

Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara: friends for life

“We are together pretty much every day, longer than I’m with my wife,” Mizuhara once jokingly stated to The Athletic. For a person who considers his role as an interpreter to be just 10% of the job, he has never once failed to prove his value in Shohei Ohtani’s life. For instance, Mizuhara served as the unicorn’s catcher in the 2021 Home Run Derby, but that’s not all.

Part of his job includes minimizing any distractions surrounding the player. Shohei Ohtani has found him to be particularly helpful during the offseasons when Mizuhara helps him balance his endorsement and marketing schedules.

The interpreter has been a constant companion to Shohei Ohtani, almost 365 days a year for the past 6 years. Though he was first introduced as Shotime’s translator back in 2017 by the Angels, their initial meeting went beyond the realm of American baseball.

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The duo first met in Japan when Ohtani was playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Ippei Mizuhara was originally on the team for an American player but left the country with Shotime six years later. Even now he finds opportunities to help the two-way phenom bloom from the sidelines.

The personal side of things for Ippei-san

Ippei Mizuhara is known to watch contemporary players’ gaming tactics with Shohei Ohtani while they analyze them together. Mizuhara also reportedly encouraged Shotime to interact with his teammates through a video game and used to pick up groceries for him when Shotime was recovering from surgery. Needless to say, his companionship has led to Mizuhara garnering global fame and a very special fanbase in his home country, Japan.

“I’m not sure if that’s deserved,” he told The Athletic, humble as ever. Well, the other interpreters of MLB choose to believe otherwise. For them, the cult-like status of Mizuhara has given a face to their profession, which often stays overshadowed by the prominence of stars like Ohtani!

Read More: Who is Ippei Mizuhara? Everything to Know About Japanese Shohei Ohtani’s Link to America