SI

The Details of Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter‘s Gambling Habit Are Stunning

Ippei Mizuhara lost more than $40 million in just over two years.

Jimmy Traina

Shohei Ohtani walks in the Dodgers dugout.
Shohei Ohtani walks in the Dodgers dugout. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been accused by the U.S. government of stealing more than $16 million from the Dodgers superstar. He faces up 30 years in prison.

How did Mizuhara get to this point? By betting. A lot.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm way more fascinated by Mizuhara's tonage of wagers than the money he bet.

The numbers are absolutely staggering.

In 26 months, from December 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara made 19,000 bets. That checks out to 730 bets per month. That checks out to 24 bets per day.

The complaint against Mizuhara alleges that he won $142,256,769.74 and lost $182,935,206.68, with a total net loss of $40,678,436.94.

Mizuhara was so bad at gambling, he apparently had 11-point favorites losing outright.

The one question I still have is that if Mizuhara lost $40 million, how did he only allegedly steal $16 million from Ohtani. How did he pay off the other $24 million?

In another twist to this absurd story, it's also alleged that Mizuhara used $325,000 of the stolen money for something other than gambling debts: baseball cards

2. NBA fans were blessed that when a fan threw a chicken wing on the court during Thursday's Pelicans-Kings game, Kevin Harlan was behind the mic for the call.

3. Classy move by ESPN on Thursday to air a tribute to CBS's Verne Lundquist, who will retire this weekend after calling his 40th Masters.

4. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow appeared at the New Heights live podcast taping in Cincinnati on Thursday, and once again was on the right side of history by explaining why he is pro taunting.

5. TNT aired its final regular-season game Thursday night, so the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal looked back at some of their best moments from the 2023-24 season.

6. This week's SI Media With Jimmy Traina is a big show.

First up is author and reporter, Jim Miller, to discuss ESPN parting ways with senior vice president, Norby Williamson. Williamson, who was at ESPN for 40 years, has been called out a couple of times by Pat McAfee for being "a rat" and leaking negative stories. Miller explains why ESPN cut ties with Williamson, shares his thoughts on the McAfee-Williamson feud and discusses reaction to Williamson's dismissal. Miller also talks about the possibility of ESPN buying the NFL Network, the challenges facing ESPN today and more.

Following Miller, Dan Rapaport from Barstool's Fore Play podcast joins the show to talk about the Masters and offer Masters betting advice. Should you bet on Tiger Woods making the cut? Who would make a good long-shot bet to win the tournament? What prop should you bet on Saturday and Sunday of the tournament? Is there any risk in betting Scottie Scheffler to finish in the top five?

Following Rapaport, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include a recap of WrestleMania 40, the Yankees' hot start, Sal's issues with his new house and more.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking into the tweet below or by visiting Apple and Spotify.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 77th birthday to the great David Letterman.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/College