MLB Launches Investigation into Shohei Ohtani, Interpreter
The Free Friday newsletter.
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As a reminder, our March/April book club selection is The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, by Jane Leavy. Jane’s writing is so good we’re probably going to read her Koufax book in May. Our Zoom book club discussing Mantle will take place on Monday, May 6, at 5:30 PM PT.
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There have been a few developments since I wrote about Shohei Ohtani’s proximity to an alleged illegal gambling scandal yesterday.
Last night, ESPN’s Tisha Thompson—who has been all over this story—reported that Ohtani’s representatives have contacted the authorities and asked them to investigate a “massive theft” of cash from the superstar player. Ohtani’s reps declined to tell Thompson which authorities they alerted.
Obviously, if Ohtani’s lawyers believe their client was defrauded of $4.5 million by a trusted friend, then they should absolutely call the police. They say they’ve done that. And now we will wait to see what law enforcement has to say.
Then on Friday, MLB announced in a statement to reporters that it was investigating the mess.
“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations [DOI] began their formal process investigating the matter.”
This is another obvious step that needed to happen. Even if Ohtani did nothing wrong here, Rob Manfred could not simply close his eyes and plug his ears and pretend like the game’s biggest star isn’t entangled in ugly headlines that need resolution. It would not be fair to the rest of the league to look the other way, and, frankly, it wouldn’t do Ohtani any favors, either.
Thompson also posted a timeline of her reporting to fill in some blanks about the evolving stories told by Mizuhara and Ohtani’s reps. The clubhouse scene she painted after the Dodgers first game of the season is truly wild.
10 a.m. ET Wednesday (11 p.m. in Seoul): After the game, the Dodgers hold a meeting in the clubhouse, where team owner Mark Walter tells the players a negative story is coming, according to a team official later interviewed by ESPN. Mizuhara apologizes, according to the official, and tells the team he has a gambling addiction. A Dodgers executive, Andrew Friedman, stands up and says Ohtani had helped to cover Mizuhara's losses, the team official and others present said.
On the way back to the hotel, Ohtani starts asking questions about what had been said in the clubhouse, the Ohtani spokesman told ESPN, and his representatives say that's when Ohtani told them he didn't recognize Mizuhara's version of the events. According to the Dodgers official and Ohtani's spokesman, Ohtani's representatives had continued to rely on Mizuhara to communicate with Ohtani while they were dealing with the situation, and Mizuhara did not tell Ohtani what was happening.
According to the Ohtani spokesman, Ohtani discovers for the first time Wednesday that money is missing from his account.
This is just… bonkers.
According to this story, the team’s (pretty admirably hands-off) owner addressed the club about a negative story that was soon to break. The team’s president of baseball operations told Ohtani’s teammates that Ohtani paid off his interpreter’s gambling debts. Ohtani reps say he didn’t understand the full extent of what was said in the clubhouse and only found out later that he’d been swindled. Everyone was relying on an alleged gambling addict’s version of the events, and that person was also in the middle of a telephone game from hell between the Japanese-speaking Ohtani and his English-speaking representatives.
We also learned that the alleged illegal bookie in this federal investigation initially met Mizuhara at a poker game at the Angels team hotel in San Diego in 2021.
Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher, who was friends with Ohtani when they both played for the Los Angeles Angels, had previously told ESPN that he was present at the poker game, but he said he did not introduce the bookie and the interpreter. Fletcher and a source with knowledge of Bowyer's operation told ESPN that Bowyer gained admittance to the poker game at the team hotel through an acquaintance of Fletcher's. Fletcher told ESPN he had met Bowyer once before while playing golf, and that he had never placed a bet with Bowyer's organization.
As of March 22, Shohei Ohtani has not been accused of making illegal bets. He has not been accused of betting on baseball.
Ray Ratto of Defector wrote a brilliant column about the obvious problems of MLB being in bed with the gambling industry, and the mixed messages it sends to players and fans. Ratto notes that “MLB definitely likes Ohtani, and it likes gambling just as much if not more.”
All the principals are pot-committed to Ohtani as a moneymaker, cultural icon, and active ballplayer. The twist comes with Ohtani's proximity to the gambling part because MLB needs them both even as they work against each other's interests. It did not help any of the principals that Mizuhara invoked the sacred name of DraftKings in his initial statement of culpability, given that DraftKings is now a de facto part-owner of American sport.
This is a developing story, and we’re merely in the first inning of what will be a long ride. I do know that no matter what happens with Ohtani, the sport’s gambling explosion in the U.S. is probably going to ruin a lot of lives. Congress should maybe look into this!
In the meantime, other fanbases are having a field day on social media dragging Ohtani through the mud, which—yeah, of course it was going to get ugly. The Dodgers spent a billion dollars on free agents this past off-season, and pissed off the fans of 29 other teams who are overjoyed that the Dodgers once again have a PR mess on their hands.
We all know X (née Twitter) is mostly used these days as a public shaming akin to the stocks and pillories of medieval times. But, I must say, it was pretty wild yesterday seeing a viral tweet from some guy, saying Ohtani should be burned at the stake for gambling, and then going to that person’s page and seeing his most recent tweet was about hitting a March Madness parlay.
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
After a brutal off-season for free agents, the MLB Players Union may oust its leadership.
MLB’s top prospect, Jackson Holiday, is starting the season in the minor leagues. I’m not happy about this at all!
Rangers prospect Wyatt Langford, on the other hand, has made the club’s Opening Day roster. Langford was drafted last July, and tore up the minor leagues. You’re going to want to remember his name.
Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio will also start the season in the majors.
The Yankees may or may not have re-opened negotiations with free agent Jordan Montgomery.
The D-Backs’ Eduardo Rodriguez has a lat strain and could be out a while. If I’m GM Mike Hazen, I’m on the phone to my owner tonight, begging for the money to sign Montgomery to a short-term deal.
J.D. Martinez has signed with the Mets. Congrats to Mets fans. This guy rakes.
After parting ways with their beloved PA announcer, Renel Brooks-Moon, for curious reasons and angering their fans, the Giants will have a revolving door of guest announcers.
Blake Snell signed with the Giants too late to be ready for Opening Day.
Cookie Carrasco made the Guardians’ big-league roster. <3
That’s all for this week!
Leading off for the Dodgers number 50 Mookie Betts and batting second number 17 Illegal Betts!
Your wager? Win place or sho(w)-hei?!?