Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Fired By Dodgers Amid Major Scandal
The Los Angeles Dodgers made quite the startling just hours after Shohei Ohtani’s regular-season debut with the club on his record-setting contract.
Following Los Angeles’ 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series, the Dodgers fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara as the result of a federal investigation surrounding illegal gambling and ensuing financial theft from Ohtani, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The issue was brought to the Dodgers when Ohtani’s agents came across previous transactions.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan added context to Mizuhara’s gambling past as the 39-year-old reportedly racked up nearly $4.5 million in gambling debt.
That’s bad to begin with. Then, consider that Mizuhara is a team employee, which already violates MLB’s gambling policy, in a state where sports betting is still illegal. Ohtani reportedly agreed to pay off the debt for his interpreter, leading to eye-popping transfers from his bank account.
Mizuhara had been a close colleague for the entirety of Ohtani’s MLB career, starting with the Los Angeles Angels in the 2018 season before the free-agent deal led the two-way star to the Dodgers this past offseason.
The Dodgers had previously taken care of Mizuhara in Ohtani’s deal as the team “provided for (his) interpreter” during the contract, as reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal back in December.
The Ohtani era with the Dodgers is off to quite the start.