Nathan VanSteenkiste ‘26, Contributing Writer
How does a season that began with a tumultuous controversy turn into a record-setting performance? Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani is the perfect example of how betrayal can bloom into success. Though, it wasn’t without strife. On March 20, Ippei Mizuhara, longtime friend and interpreter for Ohtani, was let go from his job; the news that followed revealed severe allegations against Mizuhara, claiming he racked up millions in debt from sports gambling and that he was stealing from the athlete’s accounts to evade further consequences.
According to ABC News, Mizuhara secretly “accessed Ohtani’s bank account and updated security information so bank employees would contact him, not Ohtani.” By intercepting payments made to the baseball star, the former interpreter was able to go undetected—impersonating Ohtani and stealing more than 17 million dollars cumulatively—until January of this year when the federal detected a series of wire transfers to a bookmarking agency, totaling about $4.5 million. The perpetrator told ESPN that Ohtani “had no knowledge of his gambling debts…and that ‘this is all my fault, everything I’ve done.’”
While dealing with the Mizuhara allegations and backlash from fans due to possible involvement in the scheme, Ohtani arrived in Korea where the Los Angeles Dodgers, his new team, would begin their season in just a few days. The backlash was prominent—as certain individuals thought that Ohtani was sneakily paying off Mizuhara’s debts and now was acting as the victim—and many sports figures, such as internet star Joe Pompliano, asked on Twitter: “How did Ippei have access to his bank account?” and remained skeptical that Ohtani had no involvement.
Ohtani held a press conference in Korea, hoping to clear up some rumors. His new interpreter Will Irten translated from Japanese to English: “Up until a couple of days ago, I didn’t know that this was happening…until he admitted he was sending money, using my account, to the bookmaker. I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt.” Ohtani’s statement made his position clear: the star had nothing to do with his ex-interpreter’s criminal activity, which left him “shocked and saddened.”
A few days later, baseball was back, as was the pressure. While coping with the betrayal, Ohtani’s new team still needed him to produce productive plate appearances, requiring his full focus; Ohtani had suffered an elbow injury last season, preventing him from pitching this year and decreasing his overall value. In prior years, Ohtani was a two-way player, meaning he was both a pitcher and a hitter when he was not being used on the mound. His usefulness resulted in him being paid hundreds of millions of dollars by the Dodgers, exciting fans. But, the tone of his season seemed set: an abysmal one, marked by a painful, forgettable stretch.
Nevertheless, Ohtani did not let any lingering shock or sadness affect his productivity on opening day—as one might expect. He recorded multiple hits, including a double, and scored in his debut on March 28. Not pitching allowed the player to increase his plate appearances due to taking fewer off-days to recover from starts. This was evident by the end of May, as Ohtani had 70 hits, compared to 57 the previous season at the same time. Already, he had accumulated 14 home runs.
Meanwhile, the conflict with Mizuhara lingered in the background, a dark shadow on a spectacular start to the season, and according to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Mizuhara “agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum of 30 years in prison, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries up to three years in prison.” Following the new development, Ohtani had one of his most productive months of the season in June. Ohtani nearly doubled his home-run total and became a favorite in the MLB All-Star game race. He was later named as the starting designated hitter for the National League, “beating out Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber with 63 percent of the fan votes,” according to MLB.com.
As summer turned to fall, Ohtani continued to perform, and he began tallying a significant amount of stolen bases along with home runs—he was approaching a historic milestone. No player in Major League Baseball history had ever hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases during one season. By Sept. 1, Ohtani already had 44 long balls and snagged 42 bases. He seemed destined to surpass 50-50.
On Sept.19, the Japanese phenom began the day only “two homers and one steal shy of the 50-50 mark,” according to CBS News. In a single game, Ohtani not only homered three times, but surpassed the Dodger’s franchise record for home runs (previously 49); not only recorded six hits and scored half of the team’s 20 runs, but helped clinch his team’s spot in the postseason; and not only stole two bases, but made history as the game propelled him past 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Who would have thought that Ohtani’s season, which began with uncertainty surrounding a previous injury and a lengthy investigation, would end with an MLB record? Certainly not most, especially considering that the star managed just 20 stolen bases a season ago. Even though he faced injury and scrutiny from the general public, Ohtani remained resilient and produced dominant results, giving his team momentum going into the divisional round of the playoffs.
Despite this, it cannot be said how successful of an October the star will have. Ohtani has more than just baseball on which to focus, with Mizuhara’s sentencing scheduled for later this month. But, if his three-run homer in game one of the playoffs is any indication, Ohtani will be an asset to the Dodgers in their World Series pursuit and this season will be a memorable one—for more than just one reason.
Lyon Life 