The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani podcast launches on 30 for 30
ESPN’s new 30 for 30 series on Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara has begun with two episodes and more due twice weekly.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
ESPN’s Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani podcast is now rolling out from 30 for 30 Podcasts, with the first two installments of a six-episode series available to stream.
The series focuses on the collapse of the partnership between Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara, his longtime interpreter and aide. ESPN says the show is built on original reporting and a previously unheard interview with Mizuhara.
According to ESPN, the podcast examines the confusion, pressure and fallout around the end of that relationship in spring 2024. The network frames the story around illegal sports gambling and the bond between two men who had been closely linked through Ohtani’s first years in Major League Baseball.
How can I listen to The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani?
ESPN says the series is available wherever podcasts are offered, including 30for30pods.com, ESPN PodCenter, the ESPN app, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The first two episodes are out now, according to ESPN. New episodes are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays until the six-part run is complete.
What is the 30 for 30 podcast about?
The series traces how Ohtani and Mizuhara went from a familiar MLB pairing to a broken partnership. ESPN describes Mizuhara’s role as far more than translation: interpreter, fixer, assistant and protector.
The breakup came in spring 2024, ESPN notes, about six years after Ohtani arrived in Major League Baseball and only months after he celebrated a historic contract. The show’s central tension is the unraveling of trust around one of baseball’s biggest stars and the interpreter who had long been by his side.
ESPN’s related coverage has included reports on the Dodgers firing Mizuhara amid an allegation of theft, Ohtani saying he never bet on sports, and reporting on money allegedly stolen from Ohtani being funneled through a Las Vegas casino to a bookmaker.
What are the episode titles?
ESPN has listed all six episode names for the series:
- Episode 1: “The Letter O”
- Episode 2: “The Interview”
- Episode 3: “Baseball Boy”
- Episode 4: “The Bookie”
- Episode 5: “The Feds”
- Episode 6: “Footnote”
In the first episode, ESPN says investigative reporter Tisha Thompson gets a tip that could threaten Ohtani’s clean public image if accurate. In the second, a notable interview shifts in an unexpected direction and adds to the questions surrounding Ohtani and Mizuhara.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.