Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations he stole money from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to service illegal gambling debts. He and his alleged bookmaker are also under investigation by the IRS. But who is Mizuhara and how did he get in a position to carry out the alleged theft from his close friend? The 39-year-old Mizuhara is a familiar face to baseball fans as Ohtani’s companion, having interpreted for the star with mainly media since Ohtani moved to the United States in 2017. Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991. Mizuhara was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter.