Shohei Ohtani speaks fluent English to describe his New Balance cleats
Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani is frequently accompanied by an interpreter, making sure his words are carried out in his mother tongue while being understandable by all. However, this doesn’t imply that he lacks knowledge of English.
Occasionally, Shotime can be seen chatting in the language but those moments are as rare as a perfect game in the MLB. The most recent moment where Ohtani was seen flexing his English skills was uploaded by ESPN on X (formerly Twitter), featuring the two-way star talking about his shoes:
Shohei Ohtani talking about his shoes in English 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oElxKgQ2g0
— ESPN (@espn) April 14, 2024
“Like, White and Dodger Blue,” Ohtani said about his New Balance cleats. “And my sole is so flat, you know. I like the sole flat, this is more comfortable. And my logo and New Balance Logo.”
Ahead of the Seoul Series in March 2024, New Balance officially revealed Ohtani’s logo:
Despite having spent several years in the United States, Ohtani still prefers to speak in his mother tongue, especially during public appearances.
Shohei Ohtani knows English but feels more at ease speaking his native language. During most of his time in the U.S. when addressing the American crowd, he was always accompanied by his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who is currently in custody.
At the end of last week, the Department of Justice released a statement announcing the news saying (via CNN):
“This morning, Ippei Mizuhara surrendered to law enforcement and is in federal custody.”
Mizuhara was facing legal troubles over accusations of embezzling $16 million from Ohtani for illegal sports betting. Dodgers’ manager of performance operations, Will Ireton, has currently taken over the role of Ohtani’s interpreter.
Shohei Ohtani’s English speech while receiving the MVP award
Among the rare occurrences where Shohei Ohtani flaunts his English was when he stepped up to the mic to accept his MVP award in January 2024.
Ohtani without any help from his interpreter delivered his speech that shocked everyone and his fans loved the moment. During his speech, the All-Star also gave a shout-out to the Los Angeles Dodgers for giving him the opportunity for the 2024 season (via Sports Illustrated):
“To the Dodgers organization for believing in me, I’m looking forward to this next phase in my career.”
Dodgers and Ohtani inked a mega deal of 10 years worth $700 million in December 2023.