Recently, Shohei Ohtani fired his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, following a “massive theft” of Ohtani’s money tied to gambling allegations. On Monday, Ohtani decided to address the media for the first time since the incident.

“I’m very saddened and shocked that someone on a personal level that I know has done this,” Ohtani says. “I have never bet on baseball or any other sports or asked someone to do it on my behalf. I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago I didn’t know this was happening.”

When the story broke, the Dodgers had just completed their series in South Korea for the MLB World Tour. Mizuhara was still acting as Ohtani’s interpreter, but Shohei could feel something was “amiss” following the second game.

“In conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies.”

Mizuhara appeared on a Korean news network without Shohei’s knowledge. During the appearance, Ippei said that Ohtani had paid off $4.5 million in gambling debts “on behalf of a friend”. All of this according to Ohtani and investigators has been a complete lie.

Up until a team meeting that was held to address the situation, Ohtani was never aware of Mizuhara and his gambling allegations or addiction. Now, Shohei could be dealing with a situation that could hang over the Dodgers’ heads for the entire 2024 season.

Ohtani did not take any questions after making his statements. While it may have been the smart thing to do as we don’t know all of the details, it was a bit disappointing to not get a resolution. A player who figures to be a huge key in the Dodgers season outlook, Shohei’s on-field play should quell the discourse surrounding Mizuhara soon enough.

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