ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's life will be fundamentally different in the coming weeks and months without Ippei Mizuhara, his interpreter and constant companion ever since he moved to the majors from Japan.
Although the changes caused by Mizuhara's firing amid allegations of gambling and theft could be jarring to a baseball star who thrives on routine, the Los Angeles Dodgers are optimistic the upheaval could have a positive impact on Ohtani's connection with his teammates and the game.
“Actually, I would argue that it’s going to help relations internally,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday before the Dodgers' final exhibition game. “Because there’s no longer a buffer. I think that I’ve already seen it the last couple of days. I think Shohei has been even more engaging with his teammates, and I think there’s only upside with that.”
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, smiles as he heads toward the dugout past Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers after the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game Monday, March 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ohtani spent thousands of hours at Angel Stadium over the previous six years with Mizuhara, who helped Ohtani to communicate with the Angels' coaches and players on everything from strategic advice and rehabilitation plans to video game trash-talk. Roberts and the Dodgers hired Mizuhara after signing Ohtani, and Roberts acknowledged Tuesday that it was sometimes “difficult” to communicate with Ohtani with everything filtered through Mizuhara.
The Dodgers' new slugger returned to his old home in Anaheim on Tuesday without Mizuhara, who was fired last week by the Dodgers after acknowledging a gambling problem and being accused of stealing millions from Ohtani.
The Angels welcomed back Ohtani for the exhibition with a tribute video before he batted for the Dodgers in the first inning. The bipartisan crowd cheered loudly for Ohtani, who acknowledged the love by doffing his batting helmet several times. He then struck out on a 96 mph fastball by former teammate Chase Silseth.
Whether it's related to the troubles with Mizuhara or not, Ohtani's bat has cooled off since the Dodgers returned home from their tumultuous trip to Seoul, South Korea. After striking out twice Tuesday, Ohtani finished 0 for 6 with two walks and three Ks in the Dodgers' three consecutive exhibition games against his former teammates with the Angels.
Will Ireton will be Ohtani’s interpreter going forward, but the versatile Dodgers employee won’t be as inseparable from Ohtani as Mizuhara was.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) walks across the dugout during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Monday, March 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Mizuhara shadowed Ohtani everywhere while they were with the Angels — in the training room, on the mound during visits by the pitching coach, even onto the field during bench-clearing brawls. They also spent ample time together away from the ballpark.
Ohtani already made another major life change in the offseason when he got married, and he's now beginning the process of moving forward without his daily connection to English speakers.
Teammates and opponents alike have said over the years that Ohtani understands plenty of English, but doesn't always feel comfortable speaking it — just like many second-language learners. Roberts said he already sees Ohtani making an effort to move outside his comfort zone in the past few days.
“I think that we’re all going to be surprised how much English he knows, and I think that’s a good thing,” Roberts said.
Ohtani addressed the separation from Mizuhara on Monday before the Dodgers faced the Angels in Los Angeles. The slugger emphatically denied ever betting on sports or paying off Mizuhara's profligate gambling losses, instead saying Mizuhara stole the money to send to an illegal bookie.
Dodgers players and coaches were pleased by the detail and candor with which Ohtani addressed the situation, Roberts said.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani walks into the dugout after grounding out as Max Muncy puts on his gloves during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Monday, March 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“I think (Monday) was a big day, and we’re all looking forward to moving forward,” Roberts said. “But I do think it’s an opportunity for us to really support him from everywhere.”
Ireton is the Dodgers' manager of performance operations, and has been with the team since he first worked with Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda in 2016.
Born in Tokyo before attending high school and college in the U.S., Ireton has filled several roles in the Dodgers' game preparation over the years. He also helped with the Dodgers' successful winter pursuits of both Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Roberts is grateful to have a capable, trusted member of the staff to take over for Mizuhara.
“Will is a secret weapon,” Roberts said. “I’m telling you, this guy is as selfless a person as you’re going to find. He does stuff as far as the advance stuff with the hitting. On the pitching side, it’s some advance stuff. Obviously with the Yamamoto stuff, the Ohtani stuff this past winter, he was a big helper in that, and then obviously now, being an interpreter. So Will, he’s a Swiss Army knife. He does everything for us.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
BOSTON (AP) — Shota Imanaga continued an impressive start to his major league career by pitching one-run ball into the seventh inning to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Signed to a $53 million, four-year deal during the offseason after an eight-year, professional career in Japan, the 30-year-old Imanaga (4-0) beat Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford in a matchup of two pitchers with impressive ERAs.
“Just more of the same,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of his left-hander. “Just attacking the strike zone. Again, No. 1, just in the strike zone. That's how he pitches every single time. ... By being in the strike zone so much you start to get hitters that start to get aggressive on him, and then he's getting some quick outs.”
Coming off a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field over the Astros, the Cubs rode a two-hit, two-RBI night by rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong for their fifth win in six games. Patrick Wisdom added a pinch-hit, two-run double.
Tyler O’Neill hit his eighth homer for the Red Sox, who fell to 3-8 in Fenway Park.
Imanaga held Boston’s offense, which has struggled at home and came in hitting just .198 in Fenway, to five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, raising his ERA slightly to 0.98.
“I did have one walk, but I was able to attack the zone,” he said through a team translator.
Boston manager Alex Cora said before the game that the Red Sox had a video chat with him before he signed with Chicago.
“There's things I can talk about and things I can't talk about," Imanaga said. 'We talked about the kind of pitches I throw and how unique it is in MLB, and how I can use those pitches."
Of joining the Cubs over Boston he said: “It was really just me and talking to other guys around me, I came to a decision and I can't really talk about that.”
Crow-Armstrong got his first MLB hit, a tiebreaking two-run homer on Thursday that snapped a 0-for-16 start to his career.
Crawford (1-1) gave up four runs, three earned, on 10 hits over six innings, raising his ERA to 1.35 from a major league best 0.66.
“I can't have my head down after an outing like this,” he said. “My main goal every time I take that ball is to try and throw as many strikes as possible and attack hitters. I feel like when I look back at this outing I was able to do that.”
He allowed two runs on four hits in the second — both more than he has totaled in four of his previous five starts this season — when Chicago grabbed a 2-0 edge. He had not given up more than a run in each of his other starts.
Matt Mervis had an RBI single and Crow-Armstrong added a run-scoring single after Cora won a challenge that he wasn’t hit by a pitch, forcing him back to the plate.
Crow-Armstrong’s safety squeeze scored Dansby Swanson, making it 3-0 in the fourth. Swanson held about halfway down the line before breaking to the plate when Crawford turned his back and threw to first.
After breezing through the first 10 batters, Imanaga gave up O’Neill’s homer into the center field bleachers.
The lefty worked up in the zone — sometimes just out of it — with a fastball in the low 90 mph range and down with a sharp splitter.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: Counsell had very little update on outfielder Cody Bellinger, who fractured two ribs crashing into a wall on Tuesday that landed him on the 10-day injured list a day later. “We’ve just got to get Cody symptom-free here, then we’ll go onto the next steps. That’s where we’re at right now,” he said.
Red Sox: Cora said 2B Vaughn Grissom (out since spring training with a left hamstring injury) is scheduled to play nine innings on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Saturday and Sunday in what could be “the last hurdle, probably” before he makes his season and Boston debut. … RHP Nick Pivetta (IL since April 6 with a flexor strain of his pitching elbow) is scheduled to throw live BP off the Fenway mound on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Ben Brown (0-0, 3.72 ERA) is set to start Saturday.
Red Sox: RHP Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.20 ERA) is scheduled to start the second of the three-game series.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Chicago Cubs' Mike Tauchman (40) scores on a sacrifice fly by Michael Busch during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) leaves the field after being relieved during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch, right, scores in front of Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong, left, on a two-run double by Patrick Wisdom during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Red Sox's Jarren Duran, center, is out on a bunt after a throw by Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga, left, to first baseman Michael Busch (29) during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Keegan Thompson, center, and catcher Miguel Amaya, left, celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, reacts in front of Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya, left, after striking out swinging during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) leaves the field after being relieved during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs' Patrick Wisdom follows through on a two-run double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga throws to a Boston Red Sox batter during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
