By Will Clifford

Los Angeles Dodgers team interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during a press conference. Photo credit: Ashley Landis/AP Photo.

In late March, Ippei Mizuhara, translator for the MLB’s L.A. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, came under fire as a series of wire transfers totaling $4.5 million were made to illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer to repay gambling debts. The scandal was uncovered the morning of March 20, thanks to reports by ESPN and the Los Angeles Times. The story is that Mizuhara had accrued a series of gambling losses with money owed to Bowyer, and Ohtani made a wire transfer to cover Mizuhara’s debt. At first, Mizuhara claimed Ohtani had willingly paid off his debts, and it was a payment that Ohtani was well aware of. Mizuhara made it clear that he only bet on soccer, the NBA, the NFL, and college basketball, but never baseball. Later, though, Mizuhara rescinded his story when Ohtani’s lawyers came out and stated that Ohtani didn’t know about the bets, he just sent the money, then changed the story for the final time to say that Ohtani had been the victim of “massive theft” and didn’t know about any payments.

Ohtani during a 2024 MLB spring training game. Photo credit: Ashley Landis/AP Photo.

As fans have come to learn over the past five seasons, Ohtani is a generational talent. Coming off a stint with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani earned two American League (AL) MVP awards, two Silver Slugger awards, the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year award, as well as making three consecutive All-Star Game appearances. A two-way player, Ohtani can both hit and pitch at a level rivaling all others in the MLB. For example, Ohtani hit 44 home runs last season, as well as striking out 167 batters. The only comparable example of any player with Ohtani’s skill-set is Babe Ruth, considered by many to be the best baseball player of all time. His skillset and aptitude for the game make Ohtani one of the most electric players in recent memory.

The scandal sent the sports world into a frenzy, with nearly every analyst attempting to get their take on the story on the air. Was Ohtani truly clueless to what was going on? Was Mizuhara taking the fall for Ohtani? Did Ohtani commit a crime, or just break MLB rules? Was he just disorganized with his book-keeping? Is he only truly guilty of trusting his best friend too much? There were many takes on this story.

Mizuhara was fired on March 20 by the Dodgers, which manager Dave Roberts believed was a positive change, stating that Mizuhara served as a “buffer” separating Ohtani from his teammates, and “The last couple of days, I think Shohei has been even more engaging with his teammates.” In the off-season, the Dodgers maximized their resources, signing both Ohtani and Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two standout Japanese players that increase the Dodgers’ marketability immensely due to their large international fanbase. This scandal had the possibility of hurting the Dodgers, as their most popular player and face of the franchise was caught up in possible illegal activity.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Photo credit: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images.

Neither the Dodgers nor Ohtani have faced any disciplinary actions due to Mizuhara’s misconduct. There are two ongoing investigations into the case, one by the MLB and another by the FBI. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the case will be wrapped up in a “relatively short period of time,” and also remarked that, “the fact that there is a parallel federal investigation, I think in this particular case, may actually help us.”

Ohtani made a public statement regarding Mizuhara shortly after news broke of his firing, reiterating that he had never bet on anything, or asked anyone to do so on his behalf. He also reiterated that he had been repeatedly stolen from and that he wasn’t aware of the transfer of money to a book-keeper. 

According to the Associated Press, Mizuhara pled not guilty this week as part of a plea deal to “bank and tax fraud, a formality ahead of a plea deal he’s negotiated with federal prosecutors in a wide-ranging sports betting case.” Mizuhara is accused of stealing “nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports gambling debts during a yearslong scheme, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, and exploited his personal and professional relationship with the two-way player.”

Featured image credit: Ashley Landis/AP Photo.