Mid-Pacific alumnus tasked with being Shohei Ohtani’s new interpreter
Ireton has served in a variety of roles for the Los Angeles Dodgers since joining the franchise in 2016. Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani has been named as the new interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, following a major scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was found in wire transfers sent to suspected California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The Dodgers fired Mizahara almost immediately, relieving him of his duties. Since then, the Dodgers have temporarily given interpreter duties to Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager. Ireton will also be the in-game interpreter for Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the largest amount ever given to a full-time pitcher.
نشرت : قبل شهر بواسطة Christian Shimabuku في Sports
Mere months after signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that made him the highest-paid athlete in North American sports history, Japanese global sensation Shohei Ohtani was thrust in the middle of baseball’s biggest scandal in years.
On March 20, both ESPN and the Los Angeles Times reported that Ohtani’s name was found in wire transfers sent to suspected California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who had been under federal investigation for running an illegal sports gambling operation. California is one of 10 states where it is illegal to bet on sports, along with Hawaii.
Since then, Ohtani and his legal team have accused former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of a “massive theft” in which at least $4.5 million from a bank account belonging to Ohtani was used to pay Bowyer on at least nine separate occasions.
Mizuhara, who was Ohtani’s interpreter during his time with the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 to 2023, followed him to the Dodgers. The two had a well-documented friendship and Mizuhara’s image next to Ohtani became ubiquitous due to the nature of their relationship.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara almost immediately, relieving him of his duties on March 20.
Since Mizuhara’s dismissal, the Dodgers have temporarily given interpreter duties to Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager.
Ireton has been with the Dodgers since 2016, where he served as an interpreter for Kenta Maeda. Ireton’s other roles since then have included development coach and performance operations coordinator.
On top of his new role in translating for Ohtani, Ireton will also serve as the in-game interpreter for Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million contract over the offseason, the largest amount ever given to a full-time pitcher.
Ireton was born in Tokyo and moved to Hawaii as a teenager, where he enrolled at Mid-Pacific and graduated in 2007.
At Mid-Pac, he was a member of the baseball team. He is also a frequent visitor to campus during the offseason.
“I just remember him as a great kid,” MPI coach Dunn Muramaru recalled in a message to KHON2. “Always helping out.”
Ireton, an infielder, started his college baseball career at Occidental College before transferring to Menlo, where he was also class valedictorian in 2012. His playing career ended that same year, when he represented the Philippines on a quest to qualify for the 2013 World Baseball Classic that fell short. Ireton is of Japanese, American and Spanish Filipino ethnicity.
During his time with the Philippines national team, Ireton served as a Japanese interpreter, his first experience doing so. Prior to the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Ireton was a part of the baseball operation staff for Team Philippines, which again did not qualify for the tournament.
Ireton’s other experiences in baseball includes internships with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
On Monday, Ohtani gave a 12-minute statement to the media outlining Mizuhara’s role in the scandal, as well as his own. No questions were answered, but Ohtani was adamant that he was not involved in gambling or any sort, nor did he knowingly pay Mizuhara’s gambling debts.
Ireton was by Ohtani’s side during his statement, taking notes and translating Ohtani’s words from Japanese to English. It was the first glimpse of the Mid-Pacific alum in his new role, one where there will be no shortage of camera exposure and questions.
المواضيع: Sports Figures, Baseball