MLB fans elated as Shohei Ohtani's translator Ippei fills in for Angels star during HR celebrations: "Makes the best samurai"

Shohei Ohtani might be immensely popular among baseball enthusiasts worldwide, but he remains dependent on his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, for press conferences and interviews. While Ohtani is actively learning English, he has yet to achieve fluency in it.

Mizuhara, who previously served as an interpreter for Hideki Okajima with the Boston Red Sox, possesses first-hand knowledge of the demanding nature of the MLB.

The 38-year-old Japanese translator has been instrumental in assisting Ohtani in addressing inquiries from the baseball media and facilitating communication with his Los Angeles Angels teammates.

Upon Shohei Ohtani's arrival at the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, the team enlisted the services of Mizuhara as his dedicated translator. Over time, a strong bond has formed between the two, evident in Mizuhara's decision to step down from his position during the lockout to maintain constant communication with Ohtani.

Recently, Ippei filled in for Shohei Ohtani during the homerun celebrations of the Angels as the two-way phenom had to pitch. The Los Angeles Angels posted snaps from the event on Twitter.

"this is our favorite post in the history of twitter dot com" - the post read.

MLB Fans were elated to watch Mizuhara fill in for Ohtani during the celebrations, with one saying:

"Ippei makes the best samurai!"

Here are some of the top Twitter reactions:

"Ippie! The true MVP of the people." - another fan commented.

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Shohei Ohtani hits 28th home run of season with Los Angeles Angels

Shohei Ohtani extended his league-leading home run count to 28 by launching a powerful 418-foot hit to right field against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

He further showcased his prowess in the seventh inning with a 404-foot drive to the left-center. However, shortly after leaving the mound due to a cracked fingernail, Ohtani concluded the night having given up only one earned run in 6⅓ innings, impressively recording ten strikeouts.

Ohtani expressed confidence that the fingernail issue would not affect his upcoming starts, but he remains uncertain when he will pitch next.

As the Los Angeles Angels (44-37) reached the midpoint of the season, Ohtani has maintained an impressive batting average of .304, along with a league-leading OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) of 1.040.

Additionally, he continues to lead the majors in RBIs with 64. If he maintains this pace, Ohtani is on track to achieve a remarkable 56 home runs for the season. On the pitching front, Ohtani holds a 7-3 record, accompanied by a solid 3.02 ERA in 95⅓ innings pitched and an impressive 127 strikeouts.