The major storyline dominating the 2024 Major League Baseball season revolves around the gambling scandal implicating Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
MLB's decision to launch a formal investigation aligns with the Los Angeles Dodgers' move to fire Ippei Mizuhara on Wednesday.
Ohtani's representatives claimed that the Japanese player had been robbed, with the incident reportedly involving millions and connecting Mizuhara to an alleged illegal bookmaker in California.
Additional details are emerging as the investigation unfolds, shedding more light on the situation.
Inaccuracies in Ippei Mizuhara's biography
Several inaccuracies are pointed out by The Athletic's Sam Blum in the publicly available biography of Mizuhara.
During Shohei Ohtani's time with the Los Angeles Angels, Mizuhara was listed in the team's media guide as a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, in 2007. However, the university has denied that Mizuhara ever attended or graduated from there.
“Our university records do not show a student by the name of Ippei Mizuhara having attended UC Riverside,” a spokesperson from the University of California, Riverside, informed The Athletic.
The University of California, Riverside, did not provide any comments regarding the possibility of Mizuhara attending the school under a different name or a similar identity.
Furthermore, various reports indicated that Mizuhara worked as Hideki Okajima's interpreter with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. However, both the Red Sox and Okajima denied Mizuhara's employment with the team or as Okajima's interpreter during that period.
“We are reaching out to all of you because of reports in various outlets stating that Ippei Mizuhara worked for the Red Sox as an interpreter, which is incorrect,” according to a Red Sox statement.
Over time, Mizuhara's connection with Okajima seems to have been exaggerated. Various reports have linked Mizuhara to Okajima during different periods, including a Nippon.com article from 2021.
According to records from the Boston Globe, Ryo Shinkawa was listed as Hideki Okajima's interpreter during his time with the Red Sox, and the team's media guide indicated two individuals as team interpreters, with none of them being Mizuhara, as reported by Blum.
Business as usual for Ohtani and the Dodgers
On Wednesday, Ohtani's attorneys issued a statement revealing that Ohtani had been a victim of significant theft and that they were referring the matter to the authorities. Prior to MLB's announcement on Friday, Mizuhara had affirmed to ESPN that Ohtani was not involved in betting and had no connection to the gambling activities.
Ohtani, on the other hand is still mum on the recent developments
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts maintained that it was “business as usual” for his team. However, with their new superstar under scrutiny, the Dodgers will face increased attention as they gear up for their home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
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