The Los Angeles Dodgers made headlines by parting ways with Shohei Ohtani’s longtime friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara amid a scandal that rocked the baseball world. The drama surrounding this unexpected move has left fans and analysts alike scratching their heads, wondering about the true motives behind such a drastic decision. As the dust settles, one question remains: how will this shocking development impact both the team’s performance on the field and its reputation off the field?
Authorities are currently investigating the matter, aiming to uncover the truth behind the alleged $4.5 million theft. The case has garnered significant attention from both local and national news outlets.
ESPN reports that;
Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime friend and interpreter for Ohtani, incurred the gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation, multiple sources told ESPN. How he came to lose his job started with reporters asking questions about the wire transfers.
Initially, a spokesman for Ohtani told ESPN the slugger had transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. The spokesman presented Mizuhara to ESPN for a 90-minute interview Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara laid out his account in great detail. However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara’s account and said Ohtani’s lawyers would issue a statement.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” read the statement from Berk Brettler LLP.
The spokesman declined to answer any further questions, and the statement did not specify whom they believe perpetrated the alleged theft.
When asked by ESPN on Wednesday afternoon — after the Berk Brettler statement — if he had been accused of theft, Mizuhara said he was told he could not comment but declined to say by whom.
The developments this week came as federal investigators are examining the operation run by Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The wire-transfer payments were sent from Ohtani’s account to an associate of Bowyer’s, according to multiple sources and bank data reviewed by ESPN. Multiple sources, including Mizuhara, told ESPN that Ohtani does not gamble and that the funds covered Mizuhara’s losses.
ESPN had reviewed bank information showing Ohtani’s name on two $500,000 payments sent in September and October.
Sources close to the gambling operation told ESPN that Bowyer dealt directly with Mizuhara, who placed bets on international soccer matches and other sports — but not baseball — starting in 2021. A source said Bowyer was aware of the name on the wire transfers but chose not to ask any questions as long as payments came in; however, the source said Bowyer allowed people to believe Ohtani was a client in order to boost business.
Bowyer’s attorney, Diane Bass, told ESPN: “Mr. Bowyer never met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani.” She declined to answer any other questions.
During the Tuesday interview arranged by Ohtani’s spokesman, Mizuhara, 39, told ESPN that he asked Ohtani, 29, last year to pay off his gambling debt, which multiple sources said had ballooned to at least $4.5 million. Mizuhara said that he previously had placed bets via DraftKings and assumed bets placed through Bowyer were legal.
“Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again,” Mizuhara said. “He decided to pay it off for me.
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
But on Wednesday afternoon, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and that Ohtani had not transferred money to the bookmaker’s associate.
The theft scandal is unfolding, from alleged theft to interpreter upheaval. The impact on team dynamics and reputation is no joke, showing that even in baseball, curveballs can come from unexpected places. Remember that every swing has consequences.
The streets believe that the interpreter is the fall guy and Ohtani was the one really making the bets, but MLB can’t have Ohtani get caught up in an FBI investigation.
Who do you believe?