Sports editorial, March 22 (EFE).- Major League Baseball (MLB) reported this Friday that it has initiated an investigation in relation to the illegal betting scandal involving the Japanese star player Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
“MLB is gathering information since we learned of the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara in the media. “Earlier today, our Investigations Department began its formal investigation process,” the American Baseball League said in a statement.
Since last Wednesday, when information emerged that Mizuhara was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers for his relationship with an illegal sports betting operation, which led him to contract a debt of more than $4.5 million, which The translator indicated that Ohtani offered to pay, the speculation in this regard has not stopped.
This situation has also forced the Dodgers to refer for the first time and officially to this delicate issue, which has hit them at the beginning of the season.
“The Dodgers are aware of media reports and are gathering information. The team can confirm that performer Ippei Mizuhara has been fired. The team has no further comments at this time,” says the Los Angeles team’s statement.
Despite Mizuhara’s claims that the Dodgers star made the payments through transfers from his computer because he did not trust giving him the money for fear that he would gamble it, Ohtani’s legal team has expressed that his client was the victim of what they have defined as a “massive robbery.”
“He decided to pay for me. Obviously, Shohei was not happy with that and said that he would help me to make sure that he never did this again,” Mizuhara said in statements reported at the time by ESPN.
Faced with this situation, the interpreter, who has accompanied the Most Valuable Player throughout his career in the Major Leagues and who is united by a friendship that began in 2013, has specified that Ohtani has had nothing to do with the illegal bets he made since the year 2021.
“I want everyone to know that Shohei had no involvement in the betting. I learned my lesson the hard way. “I will never bet on sports again,” Mizuhara said.
The situation has caused the reaction of the MLB, which prohibits players, referees and employees from betting on baseball or participating in illegal bets, which entails a punishment that can only be determined by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, according to the regulations.
In addition to the risk that Ohtani faces as a player, if his participation in bets of this type is proven, the MLB also finds itself in an uncomfortable situation, since the Japanese is currently the main figure in baseball and the situation represents a setback for the image. of the game.
2024-03-23 02:30:02
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