Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow made an eye-opening admission during a recent appearance on The Chris Rose Rotation. Glasnow said he speculated that Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter who was recently accused of stealing $16 million from the Dodgers star, was “doing some shady stuff” before the results of the gambling scandal investigation were revealed.
“We were all like… We got your back,” Glasnow said of what Dodgers players told Ohtani. “I just think, too, being in the clubhouse everyone knew right away, like, clearly he had nothing to do with it. The first thing he did was like, ‘take my phone.' He was like, ‘figure this out.' We all knew early on that Ippei was doing some shady stuff. So I think it didn't seem like he (Ohtani) was very stressed about it either. I think when you know that you've done nothing, it's only a matter of time before they figure it all out.
“It seems like there has not been ay mental sweat lost on his part. I'm glad all this stuff has come out so he can now, just like, I would say focus on stuff. I'm sure he's going to get asked about this all year. But he will handle it well.”
Ippei Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud after it was revealed he stole over $16 million from Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara reportedly used the money for gambling purposes.
Between betting via an allegedly illegal sports book and reportedly lying and stealing, Mizuhara unquestionably broke Ohtani's trust. It was not the way Ohtani envisioned his Dodgers career beginning to say the least, but now he will attempt to focus on baseball.
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers moving forward after Ippei Mizuhara scandal
According to Glasnow, the Dodgers trusted and supported Ohtani before the results of the investigation surfaced. Glasnow said that he felt like he knew Ohtani “had nothing to do with it.”
Ohtani surely appreciated his teammates having his back. It may realistically be one of the primary reasons the situation has not negatively impact his performance on the field, as Shohei has been excellent thus far with the Dodgers.
The 29-year-old is slashing .338/.386/.662/1.048 across 83 plate appearances to begin his Dodgers career. He has also crushed four home runs and stolen two bases.
Ohtani still plans on returning to pitching in 2025. He is recovering from an elbow injury in 2024, though, so his primary focus is on hitting this year. As a result, it would not be surprising to see Shohei Ohtani have his best offensive season yet. And that is an intimidating thought for opposing pitchers, as Ohtani has already smashed more than 40 home runs in separate seasons twice in his MLB career.
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