(Los Angeles) Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday following allegations of illegal gambling and theft against the Japanese baseball star.
Performer Ippei Mizuhara was fired following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to someone involved in illegal betting.
“Through responding to media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a major theft. We are referring the matter to the authorities,” law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement.
Mizuhara had worked with Ohtani for years, having been a constant presence alongside him in major league locker rooms.
Earlier in the day, he was in the dugout when LA opened the season by beating the San Diego Padres 5-2 in Seoul.
When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to sign a US$700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.
Mizuhara’s dismissal was confirmed by Major League Baseball and the Dodgers.
Sports betting is prohibited in California, although it is permitted in some form in 38 states and the District of Columbia.
On Tuesday, Mizuhara told ESPN he bets on soccer, NBA, NFL and NCAA football.
MLB rules prohibit players and employees of its teams from betting on baseball, even legally. It is also prohibited to bet via illegal organizations or organizations based abroad.
“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. I knew this rule. We have a meeting on the subject during training camps. »
The Associated Press was not immediately able to reach Mizuhara for comment.
Born in Japan, Mizuhara moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991, when his father got a job as a chef at a restaurant.
He attended Diamond Bar High School and graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2007.
Ohtani started the season with a two-for-five game, including a run-scoring single.