“We’re not friends… We’re business partners,” Shohei Ohtani joked about Ippei Mizuhara in February at Dodger Fest. The crowd laughed, calling it another beautiful moment between baseball’s favorite friends. If Ohtani was Gojo Satoru, then Mizuhara was Geto, but in an eerie similarity, the two have drifted apart. That never-ending partnership has given way to a bitter battle—a “betrayal,” as fans say. Until now, the superstar was quiet, but he has finally spoken.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar conducted a press conference yesterday. Looking visibly tense, there was an air of heartbreak around the Dodgers’ interview room. With around 75 media members filling that room, Ohtani didn’t take long to get to the crux of the matter: Mizuhara and his betrayal. 

“Just on a personal note, I’m very saddened and shocked that someone whom I trusted has done this,” Shohei Ohtani said via the Associated Press. Throughout the conference, Shotime continued to express his shock at how Mizuhara “lied” throughout this scandal. “Ippei admitted that he was sending money—using my account—to the bookmaker. It was an absurd thing that was happening,” Ohtani shared how he came to know about the situation.

For Ohtani, this is as unexpected as it comes. Just a few months ago, he was on stage with Mizuhara and was joking about their friendship. Apart from Ohtani’s on-field brilliance, their off-court bromance soared the superstar’s popularity. Their friendship extended beyond them as the Dodgers’ team dinner in Seoul showed their spouses enjoying each other’s company.

But now that this friendship has undergone its greatest tribulation, fans wonder about Ohtani’s emotional condition. After all, Mizuhara’s connection with Ohtani goes back to his Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters days.

From best friends to enemies: How Shohei Ohtani’s world turned upside down

Ohtani’s love for Mizuhara can be understood simply by knowing that he wanted Ippei-san to accompany him to the US during his Ham Fighter days. The superstar had already formed a friendship with Mizuhara when he was a teenage sensation in Japan. So when he came to the US, Mizuhara came with him. Ever since then, Ohtani’s dependency on his interpreter hasn’t been unknown to anyone.

Ohtani showered Mizuhara with gifts and even made him his home-run derby catcher. Such was their friendship that, when Shotime left the Los Angeles Angels, there was an outpouring of love for Mizuhara. But then Mizuhara’s gambling problem came to the surface.

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As the two-time MVP said, he had no idea that his interpreter had gambling issues. When Mizuhara talked to the Dodgers team in Seoul, Ohtani had trouble understanding what he said. “He was speaking English, and I didn’t have a translator on my side,” Ohtani revealed. “But even with that, I kind of understood what was going on and started to feel that there was something amiss.” 

Clearly, one can’t understand how deep this wound goes. It’s not just a personal loss; Ohtani’s professionalism has also come into question. “We’re not friends,” Ohtani once said as a joke, but what if it has become the truth?

Shohei Ohtani Faces Pressure in First Dodgers Season? Ippei Mizuhara Scandal Hangs Over $700 Million Superstar