An hour east from Tokyo lives the Kamagaya Stadium, the home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. The star pitcher on this team was Shohei Ohtani, who made history as “the next Babe Ruth” and in 2016 was named the NPB Pacific League’s best pitcher and designated hitter. From his outstanding skills and one of a kind stats, many scouts believed he was more than ready to join a Major League Baseball team and make history.
At 16, Shohei Ohtani was pitching 90 mph, soon reaching 99 mph. When it was time for him to graduate, instead of going international, he shocked the world by playing baseball for the Nippon-Ham Fighters. This was risky for the team, as taking him as a first round pick was an unpredictable move. After dominating Nippon Professional baseball (NPB) in both earned run average and fielding independent pitching, Ohtani moved on to Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2017 and made his debut for the Los Angeles Angels.
From 2017 to 2023, Ohtani led the Los Angeles Angels, and in those six years gained the title of two-time AL MVP. In 2017, the Angels signed Ippei Mizuhara to be Ohtani’s personal interpreter. In an interview with AP News, after Ohtani announced his departure from the team, Angels general manager Perry Minasian said,“It’s somebody that I have a huge amount of respect for personally, the organization loved having,” he added, “He’s one of the best players that’s ever played for this organization, and we understand that, but life goes on. We’re going to take the rest of the offseason and work as hard as we can to put a really competitive team on the field.” Ohtani decided to move 50 miles up Interstate-5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers and bring his best friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, with him.
In 2021, Mizuhara apparently met Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer at a poker game in San Diego, where he allegedly he started placing bets, but claimed to make none specifically on baseball. By early 2023, he had reached about four million dollars in debt and asked Ohtani for help. His name is shown on two transfers equalling one million dollars, and the recipient of both wires is Bowyer. Nine transactions of $500,000 later, Mizuhara had paid his debts, and Ohtani had no clue these wires were going to the bookmaker.
The MLB has a strict legal policy that prohibits players and team employees from placing bets on baseball. Specifically, these rules prohibit betting on any sport at all through any illegal bookmakers. By the end of 2023, federal agents had raided Bowyer’s home and Ohtani signed a $700 million contract with the Dodgers- the largest contract in MLB history. On March 18, 2024, Mizuhara was sat down for a 90-minute interview with ESPN. In that interview, Mizuhara claims he was placing bets through the DraftKings Sportsbook. “I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting,” he says according to ESPN. “I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting again.” Soon after the Department of Justice gets involved, he admitted to gambling, Dodgers fire Mizuhara as Ohtani’s translator.
Finally, after weeks of silence, Shohei Ohtani delivered a statement to the media that explained his feelings and the facts behind it all. “Just to go over the result, Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies…In conclusion, I do want to make it clear I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker. To summarize how I’m feeling right now, I’m beyond shocked. It’s hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point.”
As of April 11, 2024, Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani. “Mr. Mizuhara stole this money largely to finance his voracious appetite for illegal sports betting,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said. Prosecutors say Ohtani is a victim and had no prior knowledge of the gambling or the theft. According to Sam Blum of The Athletic, on April 12th Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered to authorities,followed by a hearing which he was then released on a $25,000 bond. Any contact with Ohtani is forbidden and he cannot leave the central district of California.