Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani to be cleared of wrongdoing by MLB after feds complete interpreter investigation

Ippei Mizuhara first met Ohtani in 2013 when Mizuhara served as an interpreter for one of Ohtani’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters teammates. When Ohtani got ready make the move from Japan to MLB, Mizuhara became Ohtani’s personal interpreter. From that point forward, the two became close friends, working closely during Ohtani’s six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

In March, however, only months after Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, news broke that Mizuhara had sustained significant losses while gambling. Mizuhara initially claimed that Ohtani had paid off his debts, which were in the millions. Ohtani’s team quickly denied Mizuhara’s account, though, and said that Ohtani had actually been the victim of theft.

Over the past several weeks, the story has become clearer as a result of a federal investigation: Mizuhara racked up more than $40 million in losses while gambling and had used Ohtani’s bank account, without Ohtani’s knowledge, to take more than $16 million from the MLB star, according to federal authorities.

The federal complaint filed against Mizuhara, who is being charged with bank fraud, says that Mizuhara helped Ohtani open his bank account when he signed with the Angels and that Mizuhara had duped bank employees to authorize large transfers of money from Ohtani’s account.

At one point, Ohtani’s status as one of MLB’s most popular and high-level players seemed in jeopardy. If he had been directly linked to the betting, he could have been at risk of suspension or even a lifetime ban from the league. Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader, was permanently banned by MLB in 1989 after he was found to have bet on baseball games, including those of the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he played and managed. Rose, despite his accomplishments, is unable to gain entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame and has served as sports’ greatest example of the consequences of players betting on their own sport.

Ohtani, in his first season with the Dodgers, struggled to start the year but has since found his groove; through 17 games, Ohtani leads MLB in hits, doubles, and total bases. He has hit four home runs and is batting .343 AVG / .392 OBP / .686 SLG / 1.078 OPS.