Shohei Ohtani‘s relationship with Ippei Mizuhara seemed like a fairy tale. Mizuhara was his shadow – a separate yet natural part of his identity. But everything came crashing down since Mizuhara’s alleged “theft.” Ever since then things have only gone downhill for baseball’s former favorite duo. However, rock bottom was hit when Ohtani called Mizuhara a “liar.” But while the investigation is still in process, a crucial question lingers: how did Mizuhara gain access to Ohtani’s bank details? The latest twist deepens the drama surrounding baseball’s fallen stars.

Daniel Kim, a former interpreter has given his account of how an interpreter works. Kim, if fans remember, shot to fame during the pandemic when KBO League started airing in the US. That was a pivotal moment for sports as the KBO gave confidence to MLB to restart its season. Kim was hailed as the unofficial “MVP” of that broadcast due to his extraordinary analytical skills. In MLB Kim translated for the New York Mets’ Jae Seo and a few more players. However, right now he’s become a trending topic online, but not for his usual accomplishments.

In an X post, Kim shared his experience as an interpreter. The Korean insider noted how players are usually completely dependent on their translators for even the basic things. From “opening bank accounts” to “taking them to DMV to get licenses,” baseball players give complete access to their interpreters. 

This makes sense because for a foreign international with little to no knowledge of how the new country operates, taking help from their interpreters seems like a natural choice. Could something similar have been the case with Ohtani and Mizuhara? After all, it’s well-known that Mizuhara played multiple roles for Ohtani (he drove for him initially, was also his catcher, and almost a training coach).

That would explain how Mizuhara got access to Shohei Ohtani’s bank credentials. But then it still wouldn’t explain the superstar’s complete ignorance regarding money being debited from his bank account. However, while that is being investigated, there’s at least one positive that the Los Angeles Dodgers have discovered due to the absence of Mizuhara. 

Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate the lack of “buffer” between them and Shohei Ohtani 

According to the New York Post, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a surprising claim – that Ohtani could perform better without his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. While Will Ireton has replaced Mizuhara as the two-way phenom’s interpreter he won’t be living like a constant shadow, unlike Mizuhara.

“I would argue that it’s going to help relations internally,” Roberts said. “Because there’s no longer a buffer. I think that I’ve already seen it the last couple of days. I think Shohei has been even more engaging with his teammates, and I think there’s only upside with that.”

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Roberts also noted that people will be surprised to see how much English Ohtani knows. While he may not be completely fluent yet, the 2x MVP understands almost everything. That has made it easier for him to bond with his new teammates. So in a way losing a friend may have opened the doors for making many more for Ohtani.

Despite Shohei Ohtani’s “Business Partners” Joke, Two-Way Phenom Expresses Shock at Ippei Mizuhara’s Betrayal