The focus of the baseball world has been on Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani all week. That’s usually the case around the MLB world, though this time is not for baseball reasons.
The Dodgers fired Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, during the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres due to a gambling scandal that involved suspicions of financial theft.
MLB released a statement on Friday that the league has launched a formal investigation into the situation.
“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” MLB said in a statement shared by The Athletic’s Jayson Stark. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process of investigating the matter.”
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Mizuhara has been Ohtani’s translator since the 2018 season when the Japanese star debuted with the Los Angeles Angels. Mizuhara came with Ohtani to the Dodgers this offseason when the two-way player signed a record-breaking $700 million contract in free agency.
The Dodgers return to regular season action on March 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Just two games into the regular season, MLB’s biggest star has more to worry about than his game on the field.
Featured image via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
