Shohei Ohtani might be a known face around the baseball world right now, but that has not always been the case. Before he entered the MLB, he was renowned as one of Japan’s best baseball players to ever exist; however, as his journey transpired into the biggest baseball league in history, so did his level of success—and some fun time in the sport. Such was once pointed out by Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s trusted friend and confidante for six years.

The linguist has watched the magic that the unicorn wields with his hits and throws for five years back in his homeland. Hence, when Ippei was once asked to reflect on his time with Ohtani upon entering the MLB kingdom at the same time, he pointed out how both have racked up a strong fame game, along with some cherishable moments, over the years!

It has been very fun for Ippei-san to work with Shohei Ohtani

A year into MLB, Ippei-san appeared for a Bally Sports interview on the dugout of Ohtani’s former team, the Los Angeles Angels. As he was asked about how much fun he was having at that moment, Mizuhara took a second to think of an answer before coming up with a perfect reply. “Thanks to the team’s success, and Shohei’s success – it’s been very fun!”

The success in question was indeed a fun one, considering Ohtani was just three years away from clinching his first MVP. The Halos, although never being able to see the face of a World Series title (one can’t expect a single player to bear the weight of the entire team just because he’s godlike at what he does), saw some of their best potential with Ohtani working his playing spells on their home base and mound, as well.

While the present scenario might look brighter than the sun for the Ippei-Shohei duo, the former always had faith in his player, even before stepping foot on the MLB scene.

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

Talent always makes way for success

Ippei-san closely observed the excellence of Ohtani’s skills in his NPB team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, while working as the team’s Anglo translator for 5 years. In the same interview, he reminisced about that while making a keen note about how he always knew Ohtani had a golden future ahead of him.

“I knew he had the talent,” Mizuhara mused, lost in thoughts of past glory, before going on: “I didn’t think he was gonna be this good, but I knew eventually he was gonna be able to adapt and perform well.” This performance has led to Shohei Ohtani being named the world’s best baseball player.

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

Needless to say, Mizuhara’s selfless joy at the two-way phenom’s success is on the verge of grabbing some well-deserved reverence in the Dodgers’ dugout, beginning next year!