Shohei Ohtani Jokes About “Bullies” in Hilarious Translator Response

Shohei Ohtani is gearing up for his 3rd season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, having won the World Series in his previous 2 campaigns.

Shohei Ohtani Jokes About “Bullies” in Hilarious Translator Response

Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

Shohei Ohtani was all smiles during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ training camp on Friday. While speaking with the reporters, the Japanese international joked about some “bullies” while giving a hilarious response regarding his translator.

Last year, Ohtani had another impressive campaign. While he continued to rake with his bat, he also resumed pitching. In June 2025, the two-way star returned to the mound for the first time since 2023 after undergoing surgery and not throwing a single pitch in 2024.

The 2025 season saw him become the first player after Alex Rodriguez to hit 50 or more home runs in back-to-back campaigns. He finished the regular season with a slash line of .282/.392/.622 while hitting 55 home runs and having 102 RBIs.

In the postseason, he hit 8 home runs while batting at a .265 average and played an important role in the team’s back-to-back World Series triumph. Following the end of the season, he picked up his 3rd straight MVP title.

While accepting the award at the 101st annual Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) Awards Gala in New York, the Japanese international gave his entire speech in English. This was something that amazed the fans on social media.

With the pitchers and catchers back to training, Ohtani also reported to the camp. After a successful bullpen session, the 31-year-old spoke with the reporters.

During this, one of them would joke about whether he would still keep his translator, Will Ireton, by his side following that speech in English. Ohtani would laugh off at this and claimed that he still needs Ireton, as there might be some “bullies” who could throw in weird questions at him.

I still need him because there might be some bullies out there that might give me some weird questions that I’m sure he can handle.

Shohei Ohtani said

Ireton has been the translator of Ohtani since March 2024, after the Ippei Mizuhara scandal broke out. Mizuhara, who was the previous translator of Ohtani, was found guilty of gambling by stealing money from the MLB star’s account.

After he was fired by the Dodgers, Ireton was assigned as the interpreter of Ohtani. Last year in February, Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

Is Shohei Ohtani eyeing a Cy Young Award in 2026?

In his MLB career, Shohei Ohtani has accomplished several accolades. One thing he has not done is win a Cy Young Award. With him being fully fit and healthy, there are questions regarding whether he has this award in his sights now.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

Ohtani is a good pitcher. Last season, he once again showcased his incredible talent of being a two-way star by picking up 10 strikeouts and hitting 3 home runs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, he has not been close to winning this award. The only time he got votes for this award was in 2022, when he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts.

While speaking with the media on Friday, manager Dave Roberts expressed that he (Ohtani) expects himself to be in the Cy Young conversation in the upcoming season.

I think it’s fair to say, he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation. But we just want him to be healthy and make starts. All the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves.

Dave Roberts said regarding Shohei Ohtani

When the reporters asked him about this, the 5-time All-Star claimed his main goal was to remain “healthy” throughout the year.

If the end result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great. Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. I’m just focused on being healthy the whole year.

Shohei Ohtani said via his translator Will Ireton

For now, the pitcher’s main focus is to remain fit and represent Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic. Amid uncertainty regarding his role, Roberts announced that Ohtani will not pitch in the WBC.

He and Team Japan will enter the tournament as the defending champions and kick off their campaign on March 6 at Tokyo Dome.

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