SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani rose to international celebrity status without a hint of scandal, joining the Dodgers as such a powerful brand that the team plans to capitalize financially even with the $700 million they will ultimately pay him.
That changed just one game into Ohtani’s Dodgers career.
In the clubhouse following Wednesday’s season-opening game against the San Diego Padres, Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend, Ippei Mizuhara, addressed the team and apparently acknowledged his involvement with illegal gambling, trying to get ahead of stories set to be published by ESPN (including an interview with Mizuhara) and the Los Angeles Times.
The media was held out of the clubhouse for more than 20 minutes following the game and team owner Mark Walter was on hand.
It’s unclear what exactly Mizuhara said to the team, but he and Ohtani left the stadium together. By morning in Korea, though, the Dodgers announced that Mizuhara had been fired and lawyers representing Ohtani released a statement saying the two-time American League MVP had been the victim of “a massive theft.”
“Anything with that, the meeting, I can’t comment. Sorry,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the only member of the team made available in a press conference before Thursday’s game.
“I’m not going to talk about it.”
That stance was echoed by team president Stan Kasten, who declined to answer any questions on the subject, as well as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
“There’s nothing to say. Literally nothing to say,” Friedman said when asked to comment.
The Dodgers clubhouse was thinly populated during the brief window of media access before the game, with players unwilling to discuss the matter.
After the game, they said it was easy to block out the distraction and focus on playing baseball.
“I mean, it just depends on who you are. For me, not very difficult,” shortstop Mookie Betts said. “I hope Sho is good, but at the end of the day you have to make sure we take care of your job. Like I said, no matter what cards we’re dealt, you have to go play them.”
Ohtani’s fellow Japanese teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, certainly looked unsettled in his MLB debut. He allowed five runs in the first inning
More Top Picks Best Soap Making Kits For Beginners
and was taken out of the game, a 15-11 Dodgers defeat.“I do not have much information on it,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter when asked about Ohtani’s situation. “So I don’t have anything to say.”
The Dodgers’ visit to South Korea has been a triumph for MLB’s international outreach. But it has featured a bomb threat, not deemed credible on Wednesday, and Thursday’s bombshell story centering on Ohtani.
“We’re here to play baseball,” Roberts said before the game when asked if the two stories had been a distraction to the team. “Obviously with what happened yesterday, we did a good job of focusing on a baseball game and we’re going to do the same thing today.”
Roberts said there was no consideration given to taking Ohtani out of the lineup for Thursday’s Seoul Series finale. He went 1 for 5 with a single, a sacrifice fly and two fly balls that came up just short of the wall in Gocheok Sky Dome.
“Shohei is ready,” Roberts said before the game. “I know that he’s preparing in the hitters’ meeting right now and he’ll be ready to play in tonight’s game.”
With Mizuhara no longer with the team, Will Ireton will serve as Ohtani’s interpreter. Ireton was Kenta Maeda’s interpreter for most of his time with the Dodgers and then moved into a different role as the team’s manager of performance operations. Ireton will also continue to serve as Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s interpreter in the dugout and on the field, with Yoshihiro Sonoda continuing as Yamamoto’s interpreter elsewhere.
Ohtani did not address the media before the game and did not take the field for the Dodgers’ pregame workout. That is not unusual. Ohtani rarely takes batting practice on the field, but he does often stretch with the team on the field and occasionally run the bases during the workout.
As of Thursday, an MLB source said Ohtani was not facing any discipline nor is he under investigation for any connection to illegal gambling. MLB players, officials and employees are prohibited from betting on baseball but can wager on other sports in states where it is legal. Sports gambling is not legal in California.
MLB could initiate an investigation if law enforcement becomes involved.