SEOUL, South Korea.: Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and shut good friend was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of unlawful playing and theft from the Japanese baseball star.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, 39, was let go from the crew Wednesday following stories from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an unlawful bookmaker and money owed effectively over $1 million. The crew is in Seoul this week as Ohtani makes his Dodgers debut, and Mizuhara was in Los Angeles’ dugout throughout its season-opening win over San Diego.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” regulation agency Berk Brettler LLP mentioned in a press release Wednesday.
Sports playing is unlawful in California, whilst 38 states and the District of Columbia enable some type of it.
Mizuhara is a well-known face to baseball followers as Ohtani’s fixed companion, deciphering for him with the media and at different appearances since Ohtani got here to the U.S. in 2017. He even served as Ohtani’s catcher in the course of the Home Run Derby on the 2021 All-Star Game. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to signal a $700 million, 10-yr contract with the Dodgers in December, the membership additionally employed Mizuhara.
The Dodgers mentioned in a press release they have been “aware of media reports and are gathering information.
“The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated,” the assertion mentioned. “The team has no further comment at this time.”
Ohtani was within the lineup for the second sport of the collection Thursday, hitting a single within the first inning because the Dodgers’ designated hitter. The Dodgers misplaced 15-11.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts confirmed Mizuhara had a gathering with the crew on Wednesday however declined to elaborate. He mentioned he didn’t know Mizuhara’s whereabouts and mentioned a special interpreter was getting used.
“Anything with that meeting, I can’t comment,” Roberts mentioned, including that “Shohei’s ready. I know that he’s preparing.”
Will Ireton, the Dodgers’ supervisor of efficiency operations, went to the mound within the first inning to translate for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ireton was Kenta Maeda’s translator with the crew from 2016-18.
Security on the Gocheok Sky Dome was stepped up Thursday, with police and canines checking the hallways hours earlier than the sport began.
The Ohtani-interpreter information got here a day after a reported bomb menace in opposition to Ohtani. Police mentioned they discovered no explosives.
On Tuesday, Mizuhara informed ESPN his bets have been on worldwide soccer, the NBA, the NFL and school soccer. MLB guidelines prohibit gamers and crew staff from wagering — even legally on baseball — and in addition ban betting on different sports activities with unlawful or offshore bookmakers.
“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara informed ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule … We have a meeting about that in spring training.”
The Associated Press couldn’t instantly attain Mizuhara for remark Wednesday.
Ohtani’s stardom has unfold worldwide, whilst the 2-means participant has remained largely media-shy. The information of his latest marriage to Mamiko Tanaka shocked followers from Japan to the U.S. While he underwent surgical procedure on his proper elbow final September and won’t pitch this season, he shall be used as a DH and there’s a risk he’ll play within the area. He went 2 for five with an RBI in his Dodgers debut.
Mizuhara was seen recurrently chatting with Ohtani throughout Wednesday’s sport, seemingly discussing his plate appearances over a pill pc.
Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to the Los Angeles space in 1991 so his father might work as a chef. He attended Diamond Bar High School in jap Los Angeles County and graduated from the University of California, Riverside, in 2007.
After school, Mizuhara was employed by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima. In 2013, he returned to Japan to translate for English-speaking gamers on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. That’s the place he first met Ohtani, who joined the crew that very same yr.
After Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the crew employed Mizuhara to work as his private interpreter. ESPN mentioned Mizuhara informed the outlet this week he has been paid between $300,000 and $500,000 yearly.
ESPN mentioned it spoke to Mizuhara on Tuesday night time, at which level the interpreter mentioned Ohtani had paid his playing money owed at Mizuhara’s request. After the assertion from Ohtani’s attorneys saying the participant was a sufferer of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara modified his story Wednesday and claimed Ohtani had no information of the playing money owed and had not transferred any cash to bookmakers.
Mizuhara mentioned he incurred greater than $1 million in debt by the tip of 2022 and his losses elevated from there.
“I’m terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara mentioned. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball effect.”
It can be the most important playing scandal for baseball since Pete Rose agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd discovered Rose positioned quite a few bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 whereas taking part in for and managing the crew.
The MLB playing coverage is, posted in each locker room. Betting on baseball is punishable with a one-yr ban from the game. The penalty for betting on different sports activities illegally is on the commissioner’s discretion.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
