The Dodgers, who stay in South Korea, confirmed in a press release that they’d terminated Ippei Mizuhara, who has been Ohtani’s shut buddy and interpreter since earlier than he joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. The staff supplied no additional remark.

To what diploma Mizuhara was concerned and the way a lot cash was wagered remained unclear as of late Wednesday, however bombshell experiences by the Los Angeles Times and ESPN famous Mizuhara’s title emerged in connection to a federal investigation of an alleged unlawful bookmaker, Matthew Bowyer, main Ohtani’s representatives to inquire in regards to the nature of Mizuhara’s involvement. Bowyer declined to remark when reached by The Washington Post.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Mizuhara admitted in an interview to incurring huge playing money owed that Ohtani paid for him and that he insisted Ohtani was not doing any betting. Ohtani’s representatives alleged their shopper had been the goal of theft, however they didn’t title the particular person they allege perpetrated it.

“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” West Hollywood legislation agency Berk Brettler mentioned in a press release.

Though sports activities betting is authorized in 38 states, it’s nonetheless outlawed in California. The offshore sports activities betting business, which operates in a authorized grey space and takes bets on credit score, does billions of {dollars} in enterprise annually — with shrouded ties to main figures in sports activities which can be solely now starting to emerge. The Post reported final yr that the purchasers of an indicted sports activities bookie, Wayne Nix, included LeBron James’s longtime supervisor, Maverick Carter. Former Dodgers star Yasiel Puig is awaiting trial on fees of mendacity to federal investigators about being a shopper of Nix’s operation. Puig’s admitted bookie within the scheme was a youth baseball coach who ran a Dodgers Training Academy in Hawaii.

The information got here at what had been a second of world glory for Ohtani, the Dodgers and MLB. The Dodgers opened their common season to nice fanfare in Seoul on Wednesday evening towards San Diego and gave the impression to be gaining unprecedented ranges of worldwide consideration.

It was a surprising improvement as a result of Ohtani and his tight interior circle maintained a flawless public picture since he got here to the United States. Mizuhara, who stop his job through the coronavirus pandemic when staff workers weren’t allowed to work together with gamers in order to have the ability to keep his friendship with Ohtani, was an endearing and omnipresent a part of that narrative.

Mizuhara traveled to Seoul with the Dodgers, and he was seen within the staff’s dugout speaking to Ohtani throughout Wednesday’s sport.

Ohtani turned the highest-paid participant in skilled sports activities historical past when he signed a closely deferred contract that can pay him the equal of $700 million for 10 seasons of service to the Dodgers. He additionally brings in additional sponsorship cash than anybody in baseball by a large margin. According to a report this week by Sportico, Ohtani will rake in roughly $65 million in endorsements this season. The next-closest baseball participant is Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, who will make $7 million.

The Dodgers and Padres will play once more Thursday evening in Seoul earlier than flying residence to open their stateside seasons subsequent week.

Gus Garcia-Roberts contributed to this report.