The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2024 season-opening game, which took place Wednesday in Seoul, was the first and appears to be the last of Shohei Ohtani next to his inseparable interpreter and friend wearing the team’s colors due to a tremendous scandal of illegal betting.
Ippei Mizuhara, who became world famous thanks to his relationship with Ohtani by working as his interpreter, revealed for ESPN lurid details about how he racked up millions in debt from illegal gambling in California in recent years.
The Dodgers reportedly fired the Japan-born, Southern California-raised 39-year-old earlier this day, although the team has not confirmed it publicly.
To make the topic more mysterious, Mizuhara told ESPN on Tuesday that Ohtani made big money transfers to an Orange County man to help him pay debts. Reports indicate that Mathew Bowyer ran an illegal gambling operation and that Ohtani’s name emerged during a federal investigation of the aforementioned individual.
But this Wednesday, ESPN said, interpreter Mizuhara completely changed his version by indicating that Ohtani had no knowledge of the debts and that the Dodgers’ star signing had not made any bank transfer.
Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday afternoon that when Ohtani’s legal representatives investigated the matter, they discovered that their client had been the victim of a massive robbery and that they were turning the situation over to the authorities.
At the moment there have been no reactions from Ohtani about the delicate case.
News in development.