Shohei Ohtani Says He Never Bet on Sports

Alleges former interpreter and best friend Ippei Mizuhara stole from him, lied.

(Los Angeles Dodgers/Jon Soohoo)

LOS ANGELES—When Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million free-agent contract with the Dodgers last December, it stood to reason that he would be the top story in baseball in 2024.

What no one could have foreseen, however, is that three days before this new season was about to begin, scores of reporters from around the world would pack like sweaty sardines into a tiny Dodger Stadium interview room to hear Ohtani emphatically deny he had any involvement with the illegal gambling sports scandal that has roiled MLB since news first broke last week that the Dodgers had fired Ohtani’s interpreter and right-hand man, Ippei Mizuhara, for alleged inappropriate dealings with a Southern California bookmaker under criminal investigation.

“Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” a somber Ohtani told a room full of 75 or so reporters. ESPN’s Tisha Thompson first reported last week that $4.5 million dollars had been wired from Ohtani’s account to the bookmaking operation between 2021 and 2023. Today, Ohtani denied sending that money. “I do want to make clear that I have never bet on sports or willfully sent money to the bookmaker,” Ohtani said.

Today marked the first time Ohtani addressed the media since the story broke before the Dodgers’ second game in Seoul, Korea, last Thursday. The team flew back to Los Angeles shortly after, and held a spring training game against Ohtani’s old team, the Angels, at Dodger Stadium yesterday. Ohtani declined to speak with reporters yesterday, but said he would today. Team officials announced this morning that Ohtani would read a statement, but would take no questions.

Given that MLB is now investigating the situation, and Ohtani’s reps said last week they had contacted authorities over Mizuhara’s alleged theft, none of us expected Ohtani would say much of anything.

We were wrong.