Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani (30-LA Dodgers) is embroiled in an unexpected rumor about gambling by his interpreter of 12 years, Ippei Mizuhara. Ohtani has since taken to social media, deleting photos of himself and Mizuhara.

On Sept. 23 (local time), Ohtani deleted all photos of him and Mizuhara from his social media accounts. Mizuhara was in a photo with former Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout last August and a photo with agent Nett Valero at the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) dinner in January, both of which he deleted. I also unfollowed Mizuhara’s social media accounts.

Before the second game of the MLB World Tour’s Seoul Series on May 21, Ohtani was at the center of controversy after Mizuhara was fired for theft and gambling. Mizuhara, who has been involved in illegal sports gambling since 2021, said he owed at least $4.5 million to an illegal gambling operation in Southern California that is under federal investigation, and that Ohtani paid him back. ESPN, which first reported the story, found that in September and October of last year, Otani’s account sent $500,000 each to Matthew Boyer, who ran the illegal gambling operation.

“I explained my situation to him,” Mizuhara told ESPN in his first interview. 바카라사이트 He was in a bad mood, but he said he would help me. I told him that I needed to make the transfer to pay off the debt, and he didn’t even ask me if it was illegal or not.” Otani’s camp then accused Mizuhara of being the victim of a large-scale theft, and Mizuhara reversed himself after the story broke, saying, “Otani was not aware of the gambling debt and did not transfer the money.”

Suspicions were amplified when Mizuhara reversed himself after the story broke.

Even if Ohtani didn’t place bets himself, if he knew about Mizuhara’s gambling and sent the money, he could be prosecuted under federal law. League-level discipline is also inevitable. The commissioner’s office has opened an investigation into the incident and is trying to determine the extent of Ohtani’s involvement. Major League Baseball Rule 21 (d)(3) states that if a player, umpire, team or league official or employee places a wager with an illegal gambling organization or an agent of an illegal gambling organization, the commissioner may impose such sanctions as he deems appropriate under the facts and circumstances of the offense. Discipline is available at the Commissioner’s discretion.

Mizuhara claims that he only bet on sports other than baseball. In this case, the sanction from the Major League Baseball office could end with a fine. If he did bet on baseball, it’s twofold. If he bet on another team’s game, he faces a one-year suspension, and if he bet on his own team’s game, he faces a permanent ban, which is the highest level of punishment.

Ohtani’s defense is claiming that he is a victim, and there is no evidence that he was involved in or condoned gambling. Based on the facts so far, it’s unlikely that Ohtani will be disciplined, and if he is, it’s likely to be a fine. However, being investigated by the Secretariat and being viewed with suspicion by the outside world is very distressing for Ohtani. He has yet to make an official statement.

Above all, he feels betrayed on a personal level.

According to Ohtani’s spokesperson, Mizuhara deceived him until the moment he apologized to the Dodgers. After the opening game on April 20, Mizuhara apologized to the team in the Dodgers’ clubhouse in a meeting called by owner Mark Walter, telling them that he had developed a gambling addiction. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who was present, even said that Ohtani “helped pay off Mizuhara’s debt,” but Ohtani didn’t know what was going on.

Mizuhara, who spoke with Otani’s spokesperson after ESPN repeatedly asked him about the situation, didn’t tell Otani up front what he was up against. Even when he apologized in front of the team, he spoke only in English, so Ohtani didn’t understand exactly what he was saying on the spot.

According to ESPN, Ohtani was asked about what happened in the clubhouse on his way back to the hotel, and only later did he realize what had happened, and that money was missing from his account. A spokesperson for Ohtani said, “He had no idea. He only found out about it after the match,” the spokesperson said, claiming that Ohtani was a victim of the incident.

If the spokesperson’s claim is true, Otani was not only betrayed by Mizuhara, but also deceived.

Mizuhara, whom Ohtani first met when he joined the Nippon Professional Baseball Nippon Ham Fighters in 2013, has been a shadowy figure since his arrival in the major leagues in 2018, serving as more than just an interpreter, but also a personal assistant and manager. 토토사이트 순위 From assisting with training to analyzing power, Mizuhara was also a constant presence in the baseball world, something Ohtani trusted and relied on.

Mizuhara, in his initial interview with ESPN, described his relationship with Ohtani as “brotherly” and said he spent more time with him than his wife. Mizuhara’s wife sat side-by-side with Ohtani’s wife and parents in the stands during the opening game of the Seoul Series. With such a close-knit family, it’s hard to imagine the human betrayal Ohtani must have felt.