It is quite a chaotic lead-up to the new MLB 2024 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the league now gets involved in the alleged gambling surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter.
Ippei Mizuhara, a longtime friend and interpreter for Ohtani, was fired by the Dodgers for his involvement in at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from the Japanese player's bank account.
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Reports said Mizuhara owes a California-based illegal bookmaker while working for Ohtani.
The league said they have called on the DOI to investigate the matter.
MLB statement: “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter.”
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 22, 2024
Ohtani's involvement and response
Shohei Ohtani, who announced his marriage to a Japanese woman in late February to avoid distractions leading up to MLB Opening Day, is being hounded by the massive controversy.
His representative, Mizuhara, previously claimed that he agreed to pay for his interpreter's gambling debt.
Mizuhara admitted that the previous statement was not truthful and clarified that his friend did not know of his gambling debt. The California bookmaker also stated that it never met Ohtani.
Ohtani's camp has denied the claim since then through the Berk Brettler LLP law firm.
"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," the firm said in a statement.
The news broke out moments before the Dodgers' two-game series with the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea.
Ohtani is by far the biggest player in MLB after signing the largest contract in sports history, worth $700 million for ten years.
Before the gambling scandal, the team was also rattled by a bomb threat against Ohtani while in Seoul.
Related article: Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers Debut Subject to Scary Bomb Threat, Final Decision Has Been Made by MLB
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