Shohei Ohtani, the two-way star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will address the media for the first time on Monday since Major League Baseball launched an investigation into allegations involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers amidst accusations of placing illegal bets on non-baseball sports. The rules of MLB allow personnel to gamble on non-baseball sports as long as it is legal in that area. However, sports betting is illegal in California, which led Mizuhara to allegedly place his bets with a bookmaker involved in a federal investigation.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes that Ohtani addressing the media will be beneficial as he does not see the ongoing situation to be a distraction for the rest of the team. The Dodgers recently played a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea against the San Diego Padres, going 1-1. They are set to conclude their exhibition games with three matchups against the Los Angeles Angels before starting their regular season schedule on March 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ohtani performed well in the Seoul series, going 3 for 10 with two runs batted in.
Ohtani’s legal representation has described the situation as a massive theft. The bookmaker has denied having any contact with Ohtani, but Mizuhara initially claimed that Ohtani had paid off his gambling debts voluntarily. Later, Mizuhara admitted that Ohtani was unaware of the situation and had no involvement in any wrongdoing. The investigation is ongoing and there is no timeline for when it will be resolved.
