Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Has Will Ireton Serve as Interpreter amid Mizuhara Scandal

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Thursday that Will Ireton will serve as the new interpreter for Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani following the firing of Ippei Mizuhara.

Per ESPN's Tisha Thompson, the Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wednesday amid allegations that he stole $4.5 million of Ohtani's money to place illegal sports bets with a Southern California bookmaker that is under federal investigation.

A spokesperson initially told ESPN that Ohtani made $4.5 million in wire transfers to cover Mizuhara's gambling debt, but in a subsequent statement, Ohtani's lawyers said: "In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities."

Per Thompson, ESPN saw statements that showed Ohtani's name on two $500,000 payments sent to an associate of bookmaker Mathew Bowyer's in September and October.

Multiple sources, including Mizuhara, told ESPN that Ohtani does not gamble and that the payments were made only to cover Mizuhara's losses.

Mizuhara reportedly bet primarily on international soccer matches and other sports, but never bet on baseball. Mizuhara told ESPN he believed the bets he made through Bowyer were legal; however, sports betting remains illegal in California.

Ohtani and Mizuhara are longtime friends, and Mizuhara had served as Ohtani's interpreter since the two-time American League MVP signed with the Los Angeles Angels and came to the United States in 2018.

While Ohtani remained in Southern California, he moved from the Angels to the Dodgers during the offseason, signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract.

Mizuhara went with him, but now the 29-year-old Ohtani will work with Ireton, who has been part of the Dodgers organization since 2016.

According to Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, Ireton was pitcher Kenta Maeda's interpreter when he was with the Dodgers from 2016 to 2019, and after Maeda left for the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2020 season, the Dodgers kept Ireton in player development and baseball operations roles.

Per Moreno, Ireton will also serve as starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's in-game interpreter since MLB teams are only allowed to have one interpreter in the dugout during games.

However, Yoshihiro Sonoda will continue to be Yamamoto's interpreter when he speaks to the media.

Ohtani's Dodgers career got off to a solid start this week during a two-game series between L.A. and the San Diego Padres in South Korea.

The Dodgers went 1-1, and Ohtani was 3-for-10 at the plate with two RBI, one run scored and one stolen base.