The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star player, Shohei Ohtani, will speak to the media on Monday for the first time since Major League Baseball launched an investigation into allegations against his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara following claims that he placed illegal bets on non-baseball sports.
Ohtani is expected to address the media before the Dodgers face the Angels in a spring training game in the evening. Sports betting is legal in some jurisdictions, but it remains illegal in California. This has led to accusations that Mizuhara placed bets with an accused bookmaker currently under federal investigation.
The accused bookmaker, Matthew Bowyer, has denied any contact with Ohtani, but Mizuhara initially stated that Ohtani paid off his debts willingly. However, Mizuhara later retracted his statement and claimed that Ohtani was unaware of the situation. Ohtani’s legal team claims that he was a victim of theft.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes it would be beneficial for Ohtani to address the media about the situation as it has not been a distraction to the team so far. The Dodgers recently played two games in South Korea and are concluding their exhibition schedule with three games against the Los Angeles Angels before resuming regular season play at the end of the month. Ohtani performed decently during the Seoul Series, going 3 for 10 with two RBIs.
