After days of maintaining silence about the case that has shaken world sport, Major League Baseball reported this Friday that they have begun an official investigation into the matter involving Shohei Ohtani for illegal bets allegedly made by the man who worked as his interpreter, who was later accused of stealing money from the Dodgers star player.
“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned in the media about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari,” MLB said in a brief statement in which Ippei Mizuhara’s name was spelled out. different way.
“Earlier today, our Department of Investigation (DOI) began its formal investigation process into the matter.”
The scandal exploded on Wednesday afternoon after The Los Angeles Times reported that Mizuhara, Ohtani’s inseparable friend, had placed clandestine bets through a man who ran an illegal sports betting operation. in Orange County. Sports betting is prohibited in California.
Almost immediately, ESPN published that Mizuhara had detailed to said media a day earlier how he accumulated millions of dollars in debt by placing sports bets and that Ohtani transferred money from his bank account to help him pay them. But that same day Ohtani’s famous interpreter changed his version and said that the player didn’t know anything about it.
All of this happened while the Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a historic $700 million dollar contract, were in Seoul, Korea, playing the San Diego Padres in the first games of the 2024 MLB season.
Ohtani and Dodgers’ silence sparks wave of speculation
Given the silence of MLB and the Dodgers, who fired Mizuhara since Wednesday, There has been public speculation regarding the extent of Ohtani’s involvement in illegal betting, including the possibility that the Japanese player may have committed a crime. when transferring money to an illegal gambling organization.
To further increase anxiety over the sensitive issue, Shohei Ohtani has maintained absolute silence. After the Dodgers’ second game in Seoul and with dozens of reporters waiting in the locker room, the star was protected by team employees before he left the place.
On Thursday, the AP agency reported that the Los Angeles-based IRS is investigating Mathew Bowyer, the orchestrator of the gambling ring in this case, and Mizuhara.
The Dodgers flew back to Los Angeles on Thursday and will play again through Sunday when they face the neighboring Angels in the first of three exhibition games. The team’s first official game in the United States will be Thursday at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals.
News in development.