Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers keep mum in wake of interpreter theft accusation

SEOUL – For years it was almost impossible to see Shohei Ohtani anywhere without his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, just steps away. On Thursday, after Mizuhara’s abrupt resignation due to his involvement in illegal gambling, it was almost impossible to see Ohtani at all.

Ohtani did not enter the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse during the 50 minutes reporters were allowed inside before Thursday’s Seoul Series finale against the San Diego Padres. He also didn’t even venture into the hallway leading from the clubhouse to the dugout, where more than three dozen cameras from English-speaking, Japanese and Korean news stations were stationed during batting practice. His first public sighting came when he appeared at the on-deck circle in the bottom of the first inning, ripped a single into Joe Musgrove’s first pitch and just missed a pair of home runs in the 15-11 loss.

The two-time MVP was guarded at his locker after the game by some of the team’s public relations officials, who told Japanese reporters:otsukaresama” – which roughly translates to “thank you for your hard work” – as he left behind one of the officials without answering any questions before the club boarded its flight back to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara after Ohtani’s representatives accused him of engaging in a “massive theft” in which the player’s money was used to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker under federal investigation.

The accusation from Berk Brettler, the firm representing Ohtani, followed an investigation by The Los Angeles Times. The newspaper learned that Ohtani’s name came up during an investigation into Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer. According to the newspaper, Mizuhara, 39, placed bets with Bowyer.

Mizuhara did not respond to a request for comment. Ohtani is not currently facing discipline, an MLB official said, and he is not believed to be under active investigation by the league.

Not a single player spoke publicly before the game, with the barren home clubhouse packed with reporters. There were few signs left of Mizuhara’s short tenure with the franchise. When Ohtani strolled through the dugout Thursday night, he did so without his usual companion.

“It kind of is what it is,” Mookie Betts said after the game. “I hope Sho is good, but at the end of the day you have to let us take care of your work. Like I said, whatever cards we’re dealt, you’ve got to play them.’

The Dodgers lost the final game of the series 15-11. Ohtani, who went 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, did not answer questions after the game and was escorted out of the clubhouse by a team PR official.

There was no question of having Ohtani play in Thursday’s game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, noting that Ohtani was in a hitter’s meeting while Roberts spoke to reporters around 3:15 p.m. local time. An abnormal day still had a normal routine.

Of course, a lot had changed in the past 24 hours. Ohtani was seen on air laughing with Mizuhara during the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s season opener, as if nothing had happened. The scene felt normal, a moment of celebration after Ohtani’s first game with his new club after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last winter. The image of Ohtani’s time in the major leagues, of his rise to global stardom with the Angels and now the Dodgers, included Mizuhara as his shadow.

After the match, Mizuhara stood in front of an unsuspecting clubhouse and spoke about the news that would become public the next morning.

The meeting was brief and abrupt, according to several people in the room. They described a “weird,” “strange” scene that included Dodgers owner Mark Walter and CEO Stan Kasten.

“Whatever has to do with that, the meeting,” Roberts said Thursday, “I can’t comment.”

Shohei Ohtani and substitute interpreter Will Ireton will be in the Dodgers’ dugout on Thursday. (Chung Sung-June / Getty Images)

According to a team source, Mizuhara told a version of the story in the room that was similar to what he told ESPN in his first interview, which took place on Tuesday.

According to a spokesperson for Ohtani, the player’s involvement was initially described as helping Mizuhara. Ohtani transferred money to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts of approximately $4.5 million. The money did not go directly to Mizuhara because Ohtani did not trust his interpreter not to ‘gamble it away’. Before Mizuhara’s interview with ESPN was published, the spokesperson denied Mizuhara’s story and said Ohtani’s lawyers would issue a statement.

Mizuhara said Wednesday that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling activities, debts or attempts to pay them.

By the time the media were allowed into the Gocheok Skydome home clubhouse after the meeting, Mizuhara had ducked into the hallway and only emerged near the end of Ohtani’s scrum with reporters to quickly interpret three English questions. By morning, with initial reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN well circulated, the Dodgers confirmed that Mizuhara — who had been Ohtani’s primary interpreter since his arrival in Major League Baseball and whose relationship with Ohtani even predated that time – was fired. Still, confusion remained among those within the organization, especially after Ohtani’s representatives dismissed many of Mizuhara’s claims in his interview with ESPN.

Speaking to a room full of media members who had gathered to ask about a story sure to make global headlines, Roberts declined to comment on the nature of the allegations and the decision-making process and timing behind Mizuhara’s firing.

Kasten declined to comment before Thursday’s game. So did president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

“There’s nothing to say,” Friedman said. “Literally nothing to say.”

The Dodgers quickly came up with a temporary contingency plan for Thursday. Due to an MLB rule limiting the number of interpreters in the dugout, the Dodgers had come to rely heavily on Mizuhara as an intermediary for the coaching staff to communicate with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was chased after just one inning in his Major League . debuted Thursday after signing a 12-year, $325 million deal last offseason. Mizuhara’s role, at least for today, was filled by Will Ireton. Ireton, the Dodgers’ manager of performance operations, had served as the club’s interpreter for Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda during much of Maeda’s four seasons in Los Angeles.

Yamamoto pointed to the remaining focus on the game, rather than the story that had made headlines.

“I don’t have much information about it,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “So I have nothing to say.”

The next steps remain obscure. According to a league source, MLB has not been contacted by prosecutors. The MLBPA declined comment, and Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, declined multiple requests for comment after being present at the Gocheok Sky Dome for much of the week.

It’s the second notable off-field incident in as many days during the Dodgers’ weeklong trip to South Korea after a bomb threat was made ahead of Wednesday’s opening day, potentially putting a damper on the lead-up to the most anticipated season of the season. Dodgers have had this since they moved to Los Angeles. The Dodgers’ $1.2 billion offseason, culminating in the addition of Ohtani, was always going to draw extra attention, and with it, criticism.

Roberts said, “We’re here to play baseball.”

– The athletics‘S Andy McCullough, Dennis Lin, Sam Blum and Britt Ghiroli contributed to this report.

(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani on Thursday: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images)