Shohei Ohtani's interpreter scandal could impact the Dodgers star — and MLB
Reports of a gambling case involving baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter coincide with a critical moment for the player and MLB.
Shohei Ohtani was supposed to offer a bright rebirth of sorts for baseball. Instead, he’s shrouded in controversy and suspicion, and the timing couldn’t be worse.
After Wednesday night’s accusations against his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, experts say it could sour a critical moment for Ohtani and even the game itself. Ohtani’s attorneys claim the Japanese star was the victim of a “massive theft” in a case tied to sports gambling.
The scandal was exposed against a backdrop of Ohtani’s debut with the Dodgers earlier that day, in the first game of the Major League Baseball regular season against the Padres — and the first MLB game played in Seoul, South Korea.
“Yesterday was supposed to be the coronation” of Ohtani, 29, as the sport’s new king, Adrian Burgos, a sports historian and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told NBC News. “The MLB, regardless of what truth ultimately comes out of this story, has this international global superstar associated with the worst sin of baseball.”
Questions continue to swirl around the player’s knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling habits and his involvement in the case. According to league officials, the MLB was unaware of the case until contacted by the media. They have not been contacted by federal prosecutors and are gathering information, they said.
Rating: 5