LOS ANGELES — The $700 million man has spoken. And Shohei Ohtani didn’t mince words about the illegal gambling firestorm scorching his brilliant baseball career.
Breaking a weeks-long silence, the Babe Ruth of the 21st century addressed head-on the stunning firing of his longtime translator and pal Ippei Mizuhara. The Dodgers cut ties with Mizuhara last week amid allegations he was wrapped up in an illegal California sports betting ring run by an Orange County bookie.
But it was Ohtani putting the team’s new $700 million investment squarely in the crosshairs Monday with bombshell claims he was fleeced by the Japanese interpreter he had known and trusted for years.
“Money is missing that should not be,” Ohtani said sternly through his new translator Will Ireton, his eyes firmly fixed on the scrum of reporters engulfing him.
The admission about being the victim of potential theft from his inner circle was made all the more jaw-dropping by the seemingly infinite wealth heading Ohtani’s way. This is a dude who just signed the richest player contract in sports history – a $700 million mindblower over 10 years that could reach $1 billion with incentives.
So what’s a few mil between friends for the international superstar? A lot, apparently.
While avoiding specifics that could compromise dueling MLB and federal criminal probes, Ohtani insisted he was blindsided by Mizuhara’s alleged shady activities and shady associates. He stressed that any talk of his participation in illegal gambling was absolute “hogwash.”
“I have never, ever participated in any gambling activities around baseball games,” the two-way phenom stated emphatically. “As an athlete, I cannot be involved in anything illegal like that whatsoever.”
The dramatic Shakespearean betrayal couldn’t have come at a worse time for Ohtani and the Dodgers’ marquee $700 million investment. Opening Day is just days away, with the bright-lights hype machine revving up for Ohtani’s Hollywood debut in Dodger Blue.
Instead, the disturbing off-field saga has shifted the spotlight to Ohtani’s judgment in surrounding himself with unsavory characters. Namely, the mustachioed Mizuhara who enabled alleged bookies access to MLB’s most mythical talent.
Ohtani acknowledged making a “mistake” in aligning too closely with Mizuhara, whose background wasn’t properly vetted. The 28-year-old also vowed to personally vet any new interpreter the team hires to ensure no shady entourages again.
“I clearly put my trust in the wrong person,” Ohtani said. “As an athlete, I have to make much better choices about who I allow in my life. This has been a wake-up call.”
You could almost hear a pin drop in the hushed Dodger Stadium clubhouse as Ohtani spoke. Packed shoulder-to-shoulder were reporters and camera crews from across the globe, all hanging on every cryptic word from Baseball’s $700 Million Man.
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts praised his superstar’s “accountability” in confronting the scandal head on. He claimed Ohtani had been nothing but laser-focused during spring bowling despite the swirling chaos.
The real haul, however, will come keeping Ohtani’s Herculean mind right as the MLB/federal probes continue. And making sure there are no gambling-tainted stains on the legacy of this once-in-a-century talent.
Judging by Monday’sklin of steel candor, Ohtani seems intent on doing just that as he ushers in a new Babe Ruth-like era in Dodger Blue.
The $700 million bet by Los Angeles has gotten a little cloudier. But the brightwswrapped Baseball’s newest folk hero just burned a lil’ bit brighter.
