"I usually get 15 to 20 texts" - Shohei Ohtani's translator once revealed special contacts in MLB star's life who reach out for updates
Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has generated quite a buzz over the past few seasons, setting up new benchmarks, whether in stats or contracts. Recently, the Japanese sensation signed a whopping 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His interpreter, Mizuhara Ippei, once opened up about how he constantly receives questions regarding the reigning American League MVP. In a 2018 interview with Mark Gubicza, Ippei mentioned that he gets many messages to get updates on Ohtani.
"Well, I get a lot of messages from Japan from people that are around Shohei, like his parents, some sponsors seeing how he's doing and stuff, so every time he does well on the field, I usually get 15 to 20 texts," Ippei said.
Ippei also added that he knew Ohtani would adapt and perform well in the long run.
"I watched him for five years, so I knew he had the talent," Ippei added. "He might have struggled during spring training and everyone was kind of ripping him, but I knew he had what it takes. I didn't think it was going to be this good, but I knew eventually he was going to be able to adapt and perform well."
Check out the entire interaction here:
Shohei Ohtani's interpreter was a Mariners fan
In that same interaction, Shohei Ohtani's translator mentioned that before Ohtani arrived in the MLB, he was not a fan of the Anaheim ballclub.
He mentioned that he was a Seattle Mariners fan since the MLB legend and Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki used to play there.
"I wasn't too big of an Angels fan. I was more of a Mariners fan because of Icho [Ichiro Suzuk]," Ippei said. "The Angels were so good at the time but I always came to the field to watch the Mariners and maybe the Yankees and stuff, so yeah, and I live 15 minutes from the field so it's really cool that now I'm here."
At the moment, his client, Shohei Ohtani, is scoring big and with the Dodgers, he finally may get a chance to show his prowess in October.