The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly fired Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara after a “theft” accusation surfaced, a team spokesperson said, per Gustavo Arellano, Nathan Fenno, Adam Elmahrek, and Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Times. LA made the decision after Ohtani's representatives accused Mizuhara of “massive theft” of the Dodgers superstar's money for betting purposes.
The article reports that “millions of dollars” may have been involved and the betting took place with an “allegedly illegal bookmaker.” Authorities are now investigating the situation, but Ohtani's once-trusted interpreter will no longer be by the two-way phenom's side.
It should be noted that the article states Mizuhara was still with the team on Wednesday. The spokesperson later made the Mizuhara announcement. Ohtani has reportedly never met the bookmaker.
A difficult blow for Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani signed with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million contract this offseason. He knew there would be distractions playing with the Dodgers, but he certainly did not expect anything like this to occur.
Mizuhara has been by Ohtani's side since he made his big league debut. The two were close even before that, as they met in Japan.
Ohtani has obviously become one of the most famous athletes in the world. Mizuhara has also received that fame just because he's been linked to Ohtani.
If the accusation ends up being proven completely true, and it needs to remembered that everything is alleged at the moment, that would be a difficult blow for Shohei Ohtani to say the least. It will surely feel like he's losing one of his good friends.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today provided an update on Ohtani and Mizuhara's relationship after the accusation surfaced.
“Ippei Mizhuara not only became Shohei Ohtani's closest friend since Ohtani came to the U.S., but was extremely well-liked by the Angels' players and the Dodgers this spring. He is now being accused by Ohtani's attorneys of stealing millions of dollars from him, per the LA Times,” Nightengale wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
This is a developing story and we will provide updates as they are made available.
Dodgers, Ohtani set to move forward
The Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres in the first game of the Seoul Series on Wednesday. It was technically MLB's Opening Day as well, so LA is now 1-0 in the 2024 regular season.
Ohtani picked up a pair of hits in the win, and added an RBI. It was a great start from a baseball standpoint to his Dodgers career. Unfortunately, the good times quickly came to an end following the shocking Mizuhara news.
The Dodgers will face the Padres once again on Thursday in the final game of the Seoul Series. It remains to be seen if Shohei Ohtani will play.
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