On Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani accused his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of lying and stealing money. Ohtani also shut down gambling rumors that have been swirling about his involvement.
Ohtani's comments drew no shortage of reaction from around the sports world. Some fans completely believe Ohtani, while others are hesitant and want to see how the investigation turns out. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' 2024 regular season has technically already begun since they opened the year in South Korea on March 20 and March 21.
However, their games against the San Diego Padres were overshadowed by the news of Mizuhara's firing after a “massive theft” allegation surfaced against the interpreter. Ohtani is trying to focus on baseball but the situation has surely been a distraction for him. So how are the Dodgers reacting to Ohtani's recent comments?
Dodgers support Shohei Ohtani
“For him to be able to collect his thoughts and speak honestly and openly and be very vulnerable was really huge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, quote provided by Yahoo Sports. “I heard everything I needed to hear, and I know the players feel the same way. … I got a lot of questions answered as far as what he knew, what he didn’t know, and I’m looking forward to just moving forward and letting the authorities take care of this.”
Dodgers players echoed a similar sentiment. Utility man Enrique Hernandez said “betrayal is hard” in reference to the Mizuhara-Ohtani situation. Third baseman Max Muncy added that “we’re all behind the guy” before stating that “where I come from, you're innocent until proven guilty.”
The Dodgers have been impressed with the way Ohtani has handled everything. Mizuhara was Ohtani's friend in addition to being his interpreter. In fact, Mizuhara has been with Ohtani every step along the way in the big leagues. The two were nearly inseparable. So losing him has surely been a difficult blow for the two-way phenom.
LA looking to move on with 2024 season set to begin
Investigations will continue to take place. There are serious allegations being thrown around, so the investigation could take a while before a final verdict is reached.
Nevertheless, the MLB season will continue. Shohei Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers this past offseason, is going to be in LA's lineup on March 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The team will deal with lofty expectations and pressure to win. Baseball's storylines will return.
The Dodgers seem to fully believe Ohtani. They are hopeful that the investigations won't take too long and that the complete focus can return to playing baseball. It will be interesting to see how the Dodgers perform moving forward given everything that has recently occurred.
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