Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that it has initiated an investigation in relation to the illegal betting scandal involving the Japanese Shohei Ohtani, player of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
“MLB is gathering information since we became aware of the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara in the media. Earlier today, our Investigations Department began its formal investigation process,” MLB said in a statement.
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 interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired. The team has no further comment at this time,” the Los Angeles team’s statement said.
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.”
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 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.
2024-03-23 09:14:26
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