What a whirlwind 24 hours since Shohei Ohtani made his official Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea. After Ohtani collected two hits and an RBI in a 5-2 Dodgers win, ESPN reported that LA fired Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and friend of Ohtani, amid questions surrounding wire transfers upward of $4.5 million with the Dodgers star's name attached to them.
Life went on for Ohtani and the Dodgers on Thursday as they closed a two-game set against the San Diego Padres with a 15-11 loss. Ohtani slotted into the two-hole for LA between fellow MVP candidates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as he did in game one.
This game was nearly the polar opposite of Wednesday's contest, which featured six scoreless innings and seven total runs. A run was scored in all nine innings of San Diego's win, which started with a five-run top of the first inning off new Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
In the bottom half of the inning, Ohtani cracked a single to right field for his third hit of the season. It ended up being his lone hit of the evening, but he did come around to score his first run as a Dodger on a Will Smith double later in the inning.
Although he did not reach base again during the game, Ohtani drove in a run in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly. He put the ball in play in his next four at-bats but was put out each time. He had RBI opportunities in two other plate appearances with Betts at second base but grounded out each time.
In game two with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. He leaves Seoul with three hits and a pair of RBIs in two games.
Gambling scandal steals headlines for MLB's season opener
About nine hours after Wednesday's game, the initial report involving Ippei Mizuhara's gambling debts and his Dodgers firing was released by ESPN. Mizuhara was present at the game and was shown on the ESPN broadcast talking to Ohtani in the Dodgers dugout toward the latter stages.
There are a lot of unknowns involving this situation, but sources said that Mizuhara incurred gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation that is being federally investigated. A spokesman for Shohei Ohtani told ESPN that the Dodgers star transferred the funds himself to cover Mizuhara's debts.
Following a 90-minute interview with ESPN on Tuesday night where Mizuhara broke down his story in “great detail,” the same spokesman denied the interpreter's account and said that a statement would be issued by Ohtani's lawyers.
“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, per ESPN.
Mizuhara walked back his previous statements on Wednesday, saying that Ohtani did not know about his gambling nor the debts he incurred. He insisted that he never bet on baseball.
The Dodgers released a statement Wednesday night following ESPN's report.
“The Dodgers are aware of media reports and are gathering information,” the club said. “The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated. The team has no further comment at this time.”
Ohtani did not speak to the media after Thursday's game.
Dodgers PR guarded Ohtani’s locker as he changed, then told reporters he would not be speaking. When reporters surrounded his locker, asking if he had a second anyway, he walked by and out of the clubhouse saying what the Japanese reporters translated as “have a good night.”
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) March 21, 2024
What's next for Ohtani, Dodgers?
The Dodgers will return to Los Angeles and have a few days off before playing a trio of exhibition games against the Los Angeles Angels, beginning Sunday. It is unclear whether Ohtani will be in the lineup for any of those games.
The Dodgers resume the regular season on MLB's official Opening Day on March 28 when they host the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. The greeting that Ohtani will get from the Dodgers faithful will be something to behold and is expected regardless of the gambling scandal.
Who knows what the next report regarding Ippei Mizuhara's situation will look like or when it will be released? It's unlikely that the Dodgers will allow Ohtani to speak on the matter. The MLB said that the Dodgers slugger is not currently facing any discipline.
It certainly wasn’t the ideal start to his Dodgers career, but Shohei Ohtani at least blocked out the outside distractions for this game and contributed to an 11-run affair for LA. How Ohtani navigates his first MLB season without his close friend and interpreter will be fascinating to watch.
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