Shohei Ohtani’s high-profile interpreter has been fired in connection with allegations he stole millions of dollars of the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s money, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
The report said a club spokesman confirmed Ippei Mizuhara has been dismissed while quoting “two sources” as saying the money involved was “in the millions of dollars.”
Sports network ESPN reported that an Ohtani representative had previously said the star player himself had transferred the money in order to cover his friend’s debts, and had Mizuhara sit for an ESPN interview Tuesday in which the interpreter backed up that story.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani (R) and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara are pictured during the Dodgers’ MLB season-opener against the San Diego Padres in Seoul on March 20, 2024. (Kyodo)
A day later, however, ESPN reported that Mizuhara changed his story to say he alone had stolen the money and that Ohtani knew nothing about it.
Representatives of Ohtani accused Mizuhara of engaging in a “massive theft” of the player’s money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation, the report said.
“Lawyers for Ohtani made that claim after The Times learned that Ohtani’s name had surfaced in the investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County resident,” the newspaper added.
West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler said in a statement, “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.”
File photo taken in February 2024 shows Shohei Ohtani (R) and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training in Glendale, Arizona. (Kyodo)
On Wednesday in Seoul, the Dodgers won their season-opening game against the San Diego Padres. The two teams will play another game Thursday before returning to the United States.
Mizuhara, who grew up in the United States, interpreted for English-speaking players with the Nippon Ham Fighters during Ohtani’s time with the team. He has regularly been seen alongside Ohtani in Seoul, including in the dugout during Wednesday’s game.
Afterward, Mizuhara addressed the clubhouse to tell the team a story was coming out and that the claims within it were all his fault, saying he has a gambling addiction, ESPN reported, citing a Dodgers spokesperson.
MLB rules prevent team employees from betting on baseball or engaging in illegal gambling, but Mizuhara told ESPN he was not aware that placing bets with the bookmaker was illegal.
“I never bet on baseball. That’s 100 percent. I knew that rule…We have a meeting about that in spring training,” said Mizuhara. In the same interview on Tuesday, he stressed Ohtani had nothing to do with his gambling.
“Obviously, this is all my fault, everything I’ve done,” he said. “I’m ready to face all the consequences.”
