SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Otani’s An interpreter and best friend was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers on suspicion of illegal gambling and theft. japanese baseball starand the IRS announced Thursday that he was under investigation.
translator Ippei Mizuhara39, was released by the team on Wednesday. Los Angeles Times and ESPN Regarding his alleged ties to illegal bookmakers and his debts of well over $1 million.The team was in Seoul this week Ohtani made his Dodgers debutand Mizuhara was in the Los Angeles dugout for the season opener against San Diego.
“In the course of responding to recent media interviews, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a grand theft and have decided to refer this matter to the authorities,” law firm Burke Brettler LLP said in a statement Wednesday. ” he said. The company declined further comment the next day.
sports gambling is illegal in californiaEven though 38 states and the District of Columbia allow it in some form. The IRS confirmed Thursday that Mizuhara and suspected illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles field office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesman Scott Billiard said he could not provide further details.
Mizuhara could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press. It is not clear whether he has hired a lawyer.
Associated Press correspondent Steve Wade reported on the gambling scandal that led to the firing of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s longtime translator.
Bowyer’s attorney, Diane Bass, told the AP that Mizuhara was betting on international soccer, not baseball.
“Mr. Bowyer never had any direct telephone contact with Shohei Ohtani in any way,” she said Thursday. She said, “The only person I contacted was Ippei.”
Mr Bass confirmed the criminal investigation into Mr Bowyer and said his home was searched in October. No charges have been filed.
“I am in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to resolve the case,” she said.
Mr. Mizuhara is well known to baseball fans as Otani’s regular since Otani moved to the United States in 2017, serving as an interpreter during media and other appearances. He also served as Ohtani’s catcher during the 2021 All-Star Game’s home run derby. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels in December to sign a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, the club also hired Mizuhara.
“We are aware of the media reports and are gathering information,” the Dodgers said in a statement.
“The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired,” the statement said. “The team has no further comment at this time.”
Ohtani started as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in Game 2 of the series on Thursday and hit a single in the first inning.of The Dodgers lost 15-11.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Mizuhara met with the team on Wednesday, but did not provide further details. He said Mizuhara’s whereabouts were unknown and another interpreter was being used.
“I can’t comment on that meeting,” Roberts said, adding, “Shohei is ready.” I know he’s preparing. ”
Will Ireton, the Dodgers’ performance operations manager, went to the mound for the first inning as an interpreter for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ireton served as Kenta Maeda’s interpreter on the team from 2016 to 2018.
Security at Gocheok Sky Dome was beefed up on Thursday, with police and dogs checking the hallways hours before the game started.
News about Otani Interpreter has arrived. The day after the bomb threat was reported Playing against Otani. Police said no explosives were found.
On Tuesday, Mizuhara told ESPN he bets on international soccer, the NBA, NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from placing bets, even legally on baseball, and also prohibit betting on other sports by illegal or offshore bookmakers.
“I’ve never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100%. We knew that rule…we’ll have a meeting about it in spring training.”
Although Ohtani’s stardom spread around the world, the two-way athlete remained largely invisible to the media. His latest marriage news is Mamiko Tanaka He underwent surgery on his right elbow in September last year, shocking fans from Japan to the United States. I won’t throw He will be used as a DH this season, and there is a possibility that he will play as an infielder.he 2 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at bats In his Dodgers debut game.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (right) and translator Ippei Mizuhara sit in the dugout during the baseball season opener against the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Player (AP photo) / Lee Jin-man)
Mizuhara chatted regularly with Ohtani during Wednesday’s game, and appeared to be discussing his at-bats on a tablet.
Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to Los Angeles in 1991 so his father could work as a chef. He attended Diamond Barr High School in eastern Los Angeles County and graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2007.
After graduating from college, Mizuhara was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima. He returned to Hokkaido in 2013 to serve as an interpreter for the English-speaking players of the Nippon-Ham Fighters. There, he first met Otani, who joined the team the same year.
After Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the team hired Mizuhara as a personal interpreter. According to ESPN, Mizuhara told the program this week that he was paid between $300,000 and $500,000 a year.
ESPN said it spoke with Mizuhara on Tuesday night, at which point an interpreter said Ohtani paid gambling debts at Mizuhara’s request. Following a statement from his lawyer that Ohtani was the victim of theft, ESPN reported that Mizuhara changed his story on Wednesday and said Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debt and had not sent any money to the bookmaker. announced that he had made a claim.
Mizuhara said he had more than $1 million in debt by the end of 2022, and losses increased from there.
“I’m not good at (gambling). I’ll never do that again. I’ve never won any money,” Mizuhara said. “So I dug a hole for myself, and the hole just kept getting bigger and bigger, and I had to make bigger bets to get out of it, and I kept losing. It’s like a snowball effect. is.”
This comes as a result of an MLB investigation by attorney John Dowd, which found that Rose had bet on the Cincinnati Reds’ championship numerous times during his time as player and manager of the Reds from 1985 to 1987. It’s baseball’s biggest gambling scandal since 1989, when he agreed to a lifetime ban. .
MLB’s gambling policy is posted in all locker rooms. Betting on baseball is punishable by a one-year ban from playing the game. Penalties for illegally betting on other sports are at the discretion of the Commissioner.
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Dazio reported from Los Angeles.
