Shohei Ohtani Unexpectedly Grateful for Ippei Mizuhara Investigation, Two-Way Phenom Relishes Freedom to Focus on Baseball

For Shohei Ohtani, his journey with the Los Angeles Dodgers is finally getting on track. The first month of their relationship had been quite topsy-turvy with Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling scandal and then, the first home run ball controversy ruined some of that debut allure. But now that Mizuhara has surrendered, Ohtani has finally heaved a sigh of relief. 

However, while the superstar’s personal life was in shambles, the same wasn’t the case professionally. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted that Ohtani “has handled it really well and hasn’t let it affect his performance.” Now Ohtani has thanked the authorities for their swift investigation.

“I’m very grateful for the Department of Justice’s investigation,” Ohtani expressed his gratitude as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I’d like to focus on baseball.” The superstar declined to take up any more questions on the matter. However, relief was visible on Ohtani’s face. 

From the beginning, the two-way phenom had been saying that he did not know about Mizuhara’s gambling addiction. Now, the affidavit released by the Federal Authorities has painted Ohtani as the victim of theft. The complaint said that Ohtani had not granted any access to Mizuhara to the account from which the former interpreter transferred over $16 million to the bookmaker. 

There were other instances in the affidavit that made several charges against Mizuhara even stronger. One of them was the texts Mizuhara sent to the bookmaker on March 20.

Shohei Ohtani relieved as case against Ippei Mizuhara becomes stronger

The investigators reviewed Ohtani’s cellphone but found “no evidence” of him accessing the bank account in question. There wasn’t any evidence of Ohtani being aware of the transactions either. However, they found a text on Mizuhara’s phone that connected him to the bookmaker. 

“It’s all over for me,” Mizuhara’s text read. In that message, the former interpreter also noted, “technically, I did steal from (Ohtani).” All of this pointed towards Ohtani’s version being correct. As a result, the authorities set Ohtani free from this case. That is a huge win for the superstar as his well-built image was at risk of being tarnished due to the alleged gambling connections.

This had worried the Dodgers too who were finally relieved of their fear. “Just happy that there’s a little bit more clarity, and Shohei can move forward,” Dave Roberts said. His words echoed the feelings of the entire Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse. Perhaps now that things are finally calm, Ohtani can have a smooth time with the Men in Blue.