The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the 2024 Major League Baseball season with a win over the San Diego Padres in South Korea this morning. But that was hardly the biggest baseball story of the day.
Moments ago, a bombshell story broke regarding Dodgers superstar phenom Shohei Ohtani and his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mizuhara is accused of orchestrating a significant embezzlement scheme, allegedly involving millions of dollars, to place illegal bets with a bookmaker under investigation.
Representatives for Shohei Ohtani accused his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of 'massive theft' of Ohtani's funds to allegedly place bets with an illegal bookmaker, per @latimes
The Dodgers have fired Mizuhara.
More details: https://t.co/y6i5tFDW8Z pic.twitter.com/tqkiV3AeLa
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 20, 2024
The theft, purportedly carried out by Mizuhara, amounted to a staggering sum, leading to swift action from Ohtani’s legal team.
The accusations surfaced amid an ongoing probe into Mathew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker based in Orange County, where Ohtani’s name surfaced.
Way to ruin a great career and your whole life. Wild
— The Ultimate Lineup (@TULStyle) March 20, 2024
“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 West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler told the Los Angeles Times in a statement.
Do you think the translator was betting millions of dollars & Ohtani didn’t know? Just doesn’t add up. So far they say he wasn’t betting on baseball games, but the wagers they placed in California were illegal under state law. And we aren’t talking small amounts. A total mess.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 20, 2024
Initially, a spokesperson for Ohtani informed ESPN that the superstar had transferred $4.5 million to Bowyer to settle Mizuhara’s debt, with Mizuhara providing details of the incident.
However, Ohtani’s team promptly distanced themselves from Mizuhara’s account, reiterating their stance to both ESPN and the Los Angeles Times.
Emphasizing Ohtani’s non-involvement in gambling, ESPN highlighted Mizuhara’s wagers on international soccer, not baseball.
This was not on my bingo card of things I thought I’d see today
— Josh (@JoshKlein19) March 20, 2024
“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 in a statement to ESPN. “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.”
All of us right now…#ShoheiOhtani #Ippei pic.twitter.com/Vl6gHTPpQE
— Super Halo Bros. ⚾️ (@SuperHaloBros) March 20, 2024
Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, asserted that Ohtani had no direct contact with Bowyer, declining further inquiries.
“Mr. Bowyer never met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani,” Bass told ESPN.
Pete Rose when Shohei Ohtani has his translator throw massive parlays during games with his own money pic.twitter.com/Z5HWcg0IcY
— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) March 20, 2024
Ohtani, who recently signed a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, is arguably the biggest star in all of baseball.
He is also said to be the single most famous person in all of Japan.
Ippei Mizuhara after Shohei Ohtani deferred over 600 million instead of taking 70 mil a year: pic.twitter.com/FYORyNmfot
— pardo🧸 (@Hardpard) March 20, 2024
Mizuhara, who served as Ohtani’s interpreter during his tenure with the Angels, could not be reached for comment by the Los Angeles Times.
The revelation of this scandal casts a shadow over Ohtani’s offseason, where he disclosed his marriage to basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.
I know it probably won't ever happen but wouldn't it be hilarious if Shohei opted out of his contract with the Dodgers after just one game because they fired Ippei 😂😂😂#ShoheiOhtani pic.twitter.com/cKEeobq5TQ
— Ryan Ostrander 8 🏁 (@RyanOstrander_8) March 20, 2024
Clearly, a wholeeeee lot more will come from this shocking story.
What are your initial thoughts???
me on LinkedIn applying to be shohei ohtani’s next interpreter after downloading rosetta stone 30 minutes ago pic.twitter.com/m973OuGZAq
— Emerson Lotzia, Jr. (@EmersonLotzia) March 20, 2024