Huge Ippei Mizuhara Betting Scandal Update! Shohei Ohtani Reveals Truth About 'Lying' Translator!

[@sssssssssn]

Ohtani is not the type of person who would get into gambling. (Not that all gambling is bad, but he is just not a gambler) He is not interested in spending money for himself (look at all his clothes from sponsors lol) and dislikes flashy things. He grew up in a small town that has many rice fields where there are hardly any amusements or stores. His wife carries a $50 Zara purse still nowadays!!! His wife is a classy, sporty woman who wears minimal makeup or no makeup at all and no body-conscious dress! The only reason he drives a Porsche is because it's his sponsor, and the car was given to him for free. He has to drive that for advertisement purposes. Shohei truly believes in karma and started picking up trash on the ground, believing that doing something good would bring good luck to him. He has been doing that since he was in high school. Shohei is a humble and good-hearted Japanese person. There is really no way he would get into gambling.

[@pog-be3gq]

あなたのコメントを読んで涙がでました。日本人の私よりも彼のことを理解してくれてありがとう。会見をみて彼の優しい性格に私は気づいた。質素で派手なものを嫌う日本人は多い。大谷もそのうちの１人。

[@omegacroc2928]

@@pog-be3gqThe original commenter seems to also be a Japanese person. I’m not Japanese, but I agree with everything they said.

[@Baseballify]

@@pog-be3gqsame I feel so bad for Ohtani with these dodgers haters saying he’s a criminal bc they’re jealous of him Disgusting people

[@Baseballify]

@@pog-be3gqI’m not Japanese so I don’t t know how was his interpreters interpreting

[@Nostalgiasitcoms]

“He’s not the type” I hope this is a female 💀

[@elizabethbird3287]

As a lifelong Angel’s fan, I enjoyed watching Sho 6 days a week. Watching him in the dugout, pre and post game interviews - there is not a doubt in my mind Sho is NOT a gambler. He’s a focused professional that is disciplined. I truly suspect Ippei got caught up in the limelight. Devastating betrayal by a friend. What a shame to tarnish Sho’s stellar reputation.

[@tomogorman3947]

When I moved from the UK to Sweden the company hired a person to assist me with hiring an apartment, buying a car, opening a bank account. There was SO much trust involved there because I didn’t speak the language. Obviously I don’t have the same financial situation as Ohtani so I would have noticed money leaving my account but when there is a language barrier there is 100% opportunity for people to take advantage.

[@jimjames6990]

Ohtaini probably has over 100 million in the bank. 4 million to him is nothing, he would never see it missing

[@misagrace]

I could not even open an account if I lived in Japan and had to open a bank account and deal with all bank activities in other languages. I could not even check account information in Japanese. People who tried to blame him, could not imagine how hard it could be to live in another country. I understand he had to leave all to Ippei or other Shohei team members. Huge betrayal and such a tragedy. I feel for him.

[@dianeschroeder3980]

Absolutely!

[@Fast_Editzz]

The twitter haters are raging about this right now cuz they know Ohtani is not guilty😂

[@love-forex]

Yes, we should call it the "Mizuhara gambling scandal" NOT the "Shohei scandal".

[@2011blueman]

It's the Ohtani scandal, the story is BS.

[@thevillage38]

That's what the Dodgers P R is being PAID to get you to believe

[@JamesDuckettAuthor]

Ippea-gate?

[@pua8080]

Dead on

[@MrJking065]

The next shoe is dropping now Evidence Exposing Shohei Ohtani For Throwing Games As Part Of Betting Scandal.

[@netorarefanclub6066]

Its amazing how the media just ran with Ippei's details of the story as if they forgot he was the lying gambling culprit in all of this

[@exitscreaming4637]

How did the Media know which of the conflicting stories was correct ?

[@EvaExplores-x2x]

@@exitscreaming4637 US news media is opinion based not fact based, so they run away with Ippei's story to make money and viewership and youtube/social media is even more of a frenzy to cash in. That's about it.

[@EvaExplores-x2x]

@@exitscreaming4637 US news media is opinion based not fact based, so they run away with Ippei's story to make money and viewership and youtube/social media is even more of a frenzy to cash in. That's about it.

[@netorarefanclub6066]

@@exitscreaming4637 It seems like they didn't know which was correct. Ippei went and told ESPN what happened and they never questioned whether or not he was lying. Then Ohtani's lawyers made him walk back what he said and everybody got suspicious. But why would you take the word of the culprit/liar as "fact" in the first place?

[@elk9320]

Gambling addiction is a disease ! What Ippei did to Ohtani and Dodgers was terrible, but he should get treatment. I feel sorry for Ippei’s wife who knew nothing about it.

[@Idhdkurf]

I'm Japanese, but I want Americans to know about this new translator. I feel like he only translates about 80% of what's said. For starters, he uses "obviously" a lot, but Shohei never says "obviously" in Japanese. I think a real professional translator should have done this. Shohei's explanation in Japanese was perfect and left no room for doubt. Shohei's explanation in Japanese clearly and concisely shows that Shohei has nothing to do with gambling and that Ippei was telling a huge lie to everyone around him at the beginning.

[@DrJohnnyChow]

Why don’t you translate his press conference? Obviously, there is no margin for error!

[@camelliasan2293]

Will did a good job translating Ohtani. No need to take just one word from all said statement.

[@nihongochopsocky808]

Im beginning to think all the haters were fans who were pissed Ohtani didnt go to thier team and Dodgers haters!😂😂😂😂 Ohtani will get through this and use his anger and frustration to focus and play excellent baseball!

[@AP-mj9bg]

I believe Ohtani 100%

[@alexrenteria2127]

Ohtani fully trusted Ippei. It was more than a business relationship and he had full trust in him. I believe Ohtani.

[@coys787]

Ippei is gambling that he will get very rich by taking the fall for Ohtani.

[@harukuhitoki2991]

I'll believe him when Ippei gets convicted and goes to prison

[@sleeper9728]

My question is how the hell ippei was able access his account 😮

[@jonii5779]

This sad situation . I feel bad for both parties knowing the close relationship they had

[@sb17146]

Ippei was basically what Ohtani's mom in the US lol

[@phoebeleela]

The Japanese “interpreters” for MLB players are more than just translators. They are basically life coaches for these athletes if they don’t understand English much. They open bank accounts, rent apartments, or even purchases expensive cars for their clients. Think Ippei had access to Shohei’s bank accounts? More than possible!

[@f430ferrari5]

Of course he did and it’s amazing how some folks can’t logically see this. Their jealousy and hate just makes them think the worst and it’s always guilty no matter what. And people can’t comprehend 4.5 million which is more like 45 dollars to others. Example: If one had 10k and change in and account then does one really notice if it’s 10,986 vs 10,941. What about 100k. 100,964 vs 100,514. Now how about 1 million. 1,009,600 vs 1,005,100. Maybe Tony Montana would miss 1,500 dollars. 😂 So now 1 billion. 988,540,800 vs 984,040,800. Does it look obvious? Imagine if you’re used to dealing with YEN not USD. Imagine multiple accounts and they go up and down. Interest earned and expenditures out. Ippei was more than an interpreter. He was also throwing partner and like you said ran errands and did things like arrange purchases. He probably even got expense reimbursements. Ippei doesn’t appear to have been an Angels employee. He was Ohtani’s personal assistant. Ohtani paid him directly which is why Ippei had access. Most professional athletes have somebody like this. It’s obviously a bit too trusting. There is no evidence of any gambling winnings going back to Ohtani’s account. Ippei didn’t always lose. He probably funded money back into Ohtani’s account when he won.

[@AlexOnStreets]

And he's been with Ohtani since Japan. To say Ohtani trusted him is an understandment to say the least.

[@6pingpongpang9]

@@f430ferrari5 very good explanation.

[@MistaGrim]

@@f430ferrari5 A former NPB translator for the Baystars and Giants pretty much said this over the weekend on Instagram as he gave his experiences about having to do much more than translating because people here in the states believe it's IMPOSSIBLE for somebody to have that kind of access.

[@richardway9890]

I've never seen so much denial in one place at the same time. 😂 Only dodger fans think the golden child is completely innocent.

[@jedisparky]

Ohtani was a victim, plain and simple. Victims don't get prosecuted, they get supported.

[@jaylin39]

What a lie, Ohtani is guilty of betting and he needs to leave the league. Stop making him the face of the league, Americans own MLB not a Japanese dude who just an okay hitter can't even pitch.

[@jedisparky]

@Treblewinners1999 Yankee fan, Giants fan, or San Diego fan? 😂 You sound like a true American, through and through, GUILTY, even if proven innocent. I don't want to live in your country.

[@rass23]

I BELIEVE HIM!!! Now let’s get it… PLAY BALL

[@JohnLee-qi9pl]

Shohei's sole focus is baseball. Not money, not gambling, not chasing tits, nothing else. Normal folks like me cant imagine a life like that.

[@frankgraham1996]

You are assuming this because this is what YOU WANT TO BELIEVE.

[@JohnLee-qi9pl]

@frankgraham1996 on the contrary, it is my OBSERVATION.

[@frankgraham1996]

@@JohnLee-qi9pl You do not know all of the facts so your observation is baseless. You make assumptions based in what you want to believe. That is what shapes the opinion of most people. The truth is always different.

[@JohnLee-qi9pl]

@frankgraham1996 If u put it THAT way, what do we really know? For ex: we have no clue about how the brain or electricity works. We don't know ANYTHING.

[@frankgraham1996]

@@JohnLee-qi9pl Most people just know what they are told on the News that is manipulated BS most of the time.

[@seymorefact4333]

AS LONG as they don't bet on baseball. Ohtani, has no history of betting or addictions. Except, wanting to be a great baseball player!

[@sweatyraider7241]

Right now Ohtani needs all the support he can get you bet my ass i will be cheering the loudest at the stadium

[@suika197]

Assistant stolen money from their rich boss is more common than you think. And Ippei is like that to shohei, he's not only interpreter. He handling his business everyday. Furthermore, he had a language barrier. Ohtani is completely innocent.。👍

[@2011blueman]

The actual facts indicate that Ohtani is the liar in this one.

[@k-matsu]

@@2011blueman Which actual facts, chuckles?

[@Alex-ve1ej]

⁠@@2011bluemanwhat actual facts? Please show them, I bet you don’t have any. This scandal has barely started, so clearly you’re biased.

[@babeljeffu6535]

@@2011blueman Which facts exactly? Occam's razor would rather suggest exactly the opposite. Ippei has already been caught in a few lies/deceits... and it hasn't been a week! Your comment will age like cheddar.

[@RSW725]

Why isn’t Ippei arrested?

[@AlexOnStreets]

I speak Japanese and also always thought Ippei kinda sucked at his job. He mumbled a lot and was an unconfident speaker. His personality seemed really weird to me and learning he was a lying snake, I was not surprised. He betrayed his best friend of over a decade and needs to go to jail.

[@PainandSorrow]

Imagine how Ippei is going to be received back home- betraying your nation's greatest athlete of all time and lying about it.

[@MistaGrim]

Well, Ippei was born in Japan,but grew up in Diamond Bar....his best bet would be to move overseas somewhere if he doesn't have to do time.

[@AlexOnStreets]

He might go to jail anyways as this is fraud and theft. By the time he gets out nobody will care about him anymore. He'll likely drown himself in alcohol and dissapear.

[@SEATTLEPOSEIDON32]

He's going to prison

[@machikokurosawa7391]

Ippei will suffer great consequences anyway here and/or there as he assaulted (with o without intent). Poor dude… Shohei will learn a lot from this and will prosper💖

[@todayontheinternet9576]

@@SEATTLEPOSEIDON32 If he doesn't, you know it's all bs.

[@DIMEBLOCKSOUNDS]

Gotta believe Shohei, he has not done anything ever for us to believe otherwise.

[@seymorefact4333]

Right...nothing in his pass to indicate! If he was a gambler...why would he defer $600 M!

[@ericlego321]

@@seymorefact4333 taxes?

[@rolandmarkland6844]

His best friend is apparently a liar and a thief. People are judged by the company they keep.

[@wilburwood8261]

@@seymorefact4333 Incorrect. He deferred something like 970M-980M.

[@refusetolose05]

​@@seymorefact4333deferred 600 million because he might need it to cover his gambling debts in 10 years 😂. But in all seriousness, this dude took 1k a month while living in Japan and gave the rest to his mum. I don't see it in his character.

[@BB-jq5by]

Thank you, Doug. It was a very good summary of Shohei's press conference. I believe in Shohei 100%.

[@kend1964]

I'd have no reason to think Ohtani isn't telling the truth. It seems his translator has been lying about many things for years. A bank wire doesn't need a signature, and it seems Mizuhara had access to account numbers and "translated" wires "for Ohtani"....without Ohtani's knowledge. Bank wires don't always need "signatures".

[@Richard-wl2nh]

I can see Mizuhara helped Ohtani doing some bank transfer in the past and got ahold of his banking info.

[@tomdolan9761]

You think bank wires on transfers of $500+ don’t need signatures? Multiple transactions? You’re nuts

[@swallman]

Yea an iterpreter has access to his accounts to transfer millions. lol

[@kend1964]

@@tomdolan9761 You are not correct.

[@k-matsu]

@@tomdolan9761 Dont be like all the other idiots who quote US banking regulations - clearly oblivious to the fact that Ohtani would naturally use a Japanese bank (dozens of which have branches in LA). And yeah . . . that DOES show that Japanese financial industry practices are outdated. Tell me something else I already know.

[@todddavis3731]

I speak and understand Japanese and I always thought Ippei was not the best at translating what Shohei would say to the press. Will appears to be a much better and more accurate translator.

[@bestthemudafuckin]

I was thingking the opposite

[@mikiohirata9627]

I never had any doubt that Ippei wasthe best you could hope for as far as his ability as an interpreter except maybe loose enunciation here and there. I was an interpreter fornearly 30 yrs in SF bay area so I know what I'm talking about. I was devastated to know the scope of crime Ippei was capable of.

[@kuroneko7022]

You’re probably a Will fan because he was born in the US. He’s not as great an interpreter of Japanese as you think, according to my Japanese friends.

[@clintsweetwater]

Is Dodger Nation the reincarnation of Lasorda? Fandom can be admirable but I think Ohtani is full of it. Sounds to me like someone in La La land, who knows Chris Carter, listened to him… they got a fall guy. I wonder how much of that 70 million Ippei is going to receive?

[@George-f8h]

All I know is that he mumbles his words.

[@drummondjwall9509]

I beileve him

[@doughboyu20]

It’s obvious from some of the comments that there are some giant fan trolls and other team trolls too. Ohtani is innocent. These haters are just hoping for his and the Dodgers downfall. F’em all! Go Dodgers!!!

[@6pingpongpang9]

When Shohei was a pro in Japan he was making about 1.5 million but he had his parents manage his funds, and they sent him $1000 a month as an “allowance”, because they all wanted Shohei to focus on baseball and baseball only. Shohei entrusted Ippei like family and what a life lesson. This case will only make Shohei smarter and stronger. Hopefully…

[@misasawada244]

I always observed Ippei (and most interpreters of athletes, if not all) to take a lot of liberties with his translation. I figured it wasn’t consequential & everybody was happy, and I just assumed that Ippei was a lot more than an interpreter, a kind of a spokesperson & manager of everything Shohei. I do wish Shohei’s legal team would hire their own, professionally-trained translator, to get to the bottom of all this, get the facts right, find out who did what when how, get exactly what Ohtani says, word for word. How do you do depositions like this? The new interpreter is super-bilingual and seems perfect for the baseball job, but they need a professional translator for this big issue that has a lot of legal & brand implications. I remember I was very impressed with Konmari’s interpreter, and with Konmari’s hiring that kind of interpreter. There’s a woman that cared about her brand & nuances & protection from crisis situation. Doesn’t Shohei & Dodgers & MLB care, too? Shohei’s legal, PR, and crisis teams get paid a lot - at least invest on an extra, professional-level translator that can produce transcriptions worthy of any investigation! I felt like, after the hotel room discussion, with Shohei’s teams & Dodger’s teams together, who translated for Shohei…Ippei?? One easy thing to correct, going forward, is to hire an extra translator for the investigation purposes for this big issue. Let Shohei, Shohei’s Japanese & American teams all be on the same page, so that people can trust the information that comes out.

[@CozmoNurse]

This translator didn't repeat Shohei's words exactly. How did Shohei contact his representatives and the Dodgers without his interpreter?

[@Houdini-d2f]

I believe Shohei is telling the truth. I guess he doesn’t care about money that much not to look at his account balance.

[@coys787]

Why did he leave the Angels for the Dodgers…BIG MONEY.

[@Alex-ve1ej]

@@coys787he left the Angels cause they weren’t winning. Dodgers are a winning team every year.

[@MrCopacetic23]

@@coys787Giants offered the same deal bub.

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@coys787yeah, nothing to do with angels not making playoffs the last … gazillion years 😂😂😂😂🤡🤡🤡

[@f430ferrari5]

@@coys787

[@monica93304]

Shohei's statement is good enough for me. He seems like a man with honor and humility. Let's GO!

[@mattlc22]

Done...with this Ohtani scandal crap. Let's play some baseball.

[@kuroneko7022]

So many of you guys wanted a scandal to be put on Ohtani. Ohtani is a cultural icon in Japan, he’s not a stupid man. To tarnish his reputation over something like this would bring shame to his family and major embarrassment. Why would this guy who has signed a 700 million dollar contract do something this ridiculous? Mizuhara may have been born in Japan but he was raised in California - the culture being very different. Ohtani spent six miserable years with the Angels - no mention of betting. Now, he goes to LA and all of a sudden he agrees to pay off large debts due to betting? I’ve got a bridge to sell you people. 🙄

[@clintsweetwater]

Easy answer… people, in general, do stupid sh*t and entitled people are trained to believe they can get away with anything because most of the time they do.

[@wilkesmcdermid7906]

Mizuhara been living in the US since the late 90s. He also has a history of making false claims like he was an interpreter for the RedSoxs and that he graduated from UC.

[@babeljeffu6535]

Ohtani is not a gambler... this simply makes the most sense. The Japanese media are going pretty hard on Ippei right now, lol. As many of us expected. We should know a lot more by the end of the month. Leave it to the japanese investigative journaliststs to reveal more crunchy details on the guy, his life and whereabouts. We already know he lied about the college he supposedly attended, err, rather never attended. This is just the start... i feel extremely bad for Ohtani that they had to cross paths and even though i'm 100% convinced that Ippei is a gambler and a poor one at that, i'm a gambler too (not on the same scale mind you!) and i can't help but feel some sympathy for Ippei... but he truly dug himself a ginormous hole he could never get out of in this instance. People will do desperate things in desperate times. Let's wait and see what comes next...

[@swallman]

BS,

[@babeljeffu6535]

@@swallman OK Sherlock. Who needs the cash the most in your opinion, yes? Plenty of Ohtani former teammates have come out and attested to his character. In japanese they say, "まっすぐな男". Pretty difficult to translate but Ohtani is straightforward, does not gamble nor does he smoke or drinks alcohol, thinks and dreams about nothing but baseball day in and day out. If you want to believe in a fairytale, by all means be my guest. But let's go back to reality. Ippei lied about the university he allegedly attended, turns out he never set foot in that institution. He's your typical pachinko parlor bloke who's half decent but also cunning and deceitful. Money makes people go mad, at least certain people. His wildly different takes in the span of not even 24 hours should tell you all you need to know about his character. Leave it to the Japanese media to dig in some more... and come back to me in a few weeks.

[@RajDeelish]

@@swallman Show the proof it's BS.

[@gold_ram_5.780]

There are also 700 billion reasons to cover for ohtani. This would be a major black eye. They can't let the face of mlb have this. If you believe ohtani can't gamble you are nieve

[@babeljeffu6535]

@@gold_ram_5.780 Oof. It's not that he can't, it's that he does not. Most people don't gamble on sports. Ippei has every reason to. Also it's spelled naive. Just wait and let it play out.

[@harumih.3727]

Ohtani has never liked an idea of spending time for drinking or enjoying a party or drugs, he even hates the word of gambling. I never doubted Ohtani's innocence, knowing his personality. On the other hand, according to Japanese media, Ippei has not only gambling habits but also a history of deceiving, such as lying about graduating from a university in Diamond Bar, which recently said that they didn't have a student of the name Ippei Mizuhara, and also he had lied about being an interpreter at Red Sox for Japanese player Mr. Okajima, on which Red Sox said that they never had an interpreter with the name of Ippei Mizuhara for Mr. Okajima.

[@clintsweetwater]

You know his personality? How long have you known him personally? Did you meet here in the States or in Japan?

[@harumih.3727]

@@clintsweetwater How long do you know him, and what kind of his lifelong history do you know?

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@clintsweetwateryou don’t need to know him to know that he’s a PROVEN LIAR 😂😂😂 it’s called evidence

[@iwubfood1]

@clint. Are you trying to defend the culprit in all this that shows the interpreter has a shady gambling history and lies as evidence showing what he said wasn’t true?

[@bychances7835]

Absolutely perspective breakdown. Big ups to you. Just like how our guy nailed his press conference, you nailed your breakdown.

[@xiaobiaoxu5984]

It is clean & clear, Shohei Ohtani totally hits this scandal that so many haters hoped out of park ... There is nothing to investigate regarding to Shohei. Time to move on, oh, Did he started catching/throwing?

[@daninspiration4064]

No reason for Ohtani to be betting. He has too much money and even if he wanted to bet he would not do it through the interpreter.

[@RobertWalterweldon]

It's not the money. It's the challenge. If he bet on baseball for instance no wonder he lost. The Angels suck

[@thevillage38]

Yes ask Pete Rose

[@Johnd-pk2qd]

Yeah pro athletes that make huge sums of money never gamble.

[@MrJking065]

The next shoe is dropping now Evidence Exposing Shohei Ohtani For Throwing Games As Part Of Betting Scandal.

[@sunny_j7030]

Didn’t Michael Jordan have a gambling problem?

[@AtomicPunk51]

I hope if ohtani learns one thing from all of this. It is never let anyone who isn't family so close to his inner circles or at least arms length. And yes families can have problems also, that's just the way it is.

[@MistaGrim]

I've had a very close family member(a cousin) steal money from me, mutual friends, etc. When I asked him about it, he straight out denied it and I couldn't find the money he took. It took him over 20 years to finally come clean to his brother and admit it.

[@kalikasurf]

Sho-time already owns all the money…….why would he bet on anything?

[@Zeroasd693]

The ridiculous thing is there are some folks out there trying to ruin Shohei reputation by claiming no sane bookie would ever let a no name guy owes 4.6 mil and Ippei is just the fall guy for him when they blatantly ignore the fact that said bookie is an "ILLEGAL bookie", one would be wise enough to think someone who doesn't obey by the law would care less about logic?

[@dylee2846]

We're on your side Shohei!!

[@scottdunbar1525]

Shohei is saying what MLB and Dodgers and his Lawyers want him to say. He didn’t accept any questions.

[@Ffollies]

He has to be careful. It doesn't mean he's trying to hide anything but with multiple ongoing investigations he needs to consult with his attorneys on what to say. Just like police don't reveal to the general public certain facts about ongoing investigations.

[@nrpy09]

Some argue that Ohtani should explain how Mizuhara, who is merely an interpreter, managed to access Ohtani’s bank account and make unauthorized transfers. However, as for this ‘incident,’ Ohtani has already entrusted it to the judicial authorities. Therefore, the responsibility to resolve this question, that is, to prove the case, lies with the prosecution, not with Ohtani, who is the ‘victim.’ It is legally and morally impossible for Ohtani to explain that he did not make the transfers. In other words, this is a case of ‘proving a negative.’ Many fans of Ohtani, including myself, are highly interested in this question, but it should be well understood that it is quite harsh to force Ohtani to resolve this question at present.

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

How did you think former assistants embezzle millions of dollars from star athletes? 😂😂😂😂

[@craigosterberg5045]

Ippie. Is a liar, cheat an and a thief. But not necessarily in that order. Othani gave a great statement. Pulled no punches.

[@coys787]

I’m betting he is also a very rich fall guy.

[@iwubfood1]

A fall guy who has a gambling history? Go ahead and believe the culprit with a shady gambling history over a a traditional Japanese young man who was taught to be well mannered growing up always a role model who never drinks or likes to party

[@robertaBooey69]

I like how this interpreter wrote down what he was saying instead of repeating or trying to. A lot of trust was broken

[@tomogorman3947]

I guess this was more of a legal thing. The legal/pr thing probably said “you need to say this exactly like this”

[@robertaBooey69]

@@tomogorman3947I just don’t like when a guy talks for 15 seconds then they guy tries to say what he just said. I know they miss words and those could be needed. Writing it down helps not miss words. I wonder what google translate would say 😂

[@robertaBooey69]

I think this is maeda old translator

[@SouthCentral310]

Think about it , he was always with Ohtani everywhere he would go . 24/7 almost . He could had gotten Ohtani info without Ohtani knowing at any moment but ! I will let the evidence speak for themselves! Really hope Ohtani is innocent so we can move forward and enjoy baseball .

[@mjt07f]

That's hilarious...$4.5M is 10% of his net worth...you think he had that in a checking account and never saw the balance decrease?! None of his money managers pointed it out?! Hahaha

[@mongfa-._.-]

@@mjt07f とりあえずお前は黙れ

[@mongfa-._.-]

@@mjt07f 詳細を知らん奴が勝手に語るな

[@MrCarcass1978]

I hope this is all sorted out asap and Ohtani can move on and kick arse on the field with his "clean sheet" intact....

[@rickshelton1955]

You people are delusional if you think ANYONE isn't going to notice 4.5 million out of their accounts

[@RikWlz]

Innocent!

[@suika197]

yes,100％👍

[@rsmth2]

just cause he says so doesn't make it true. I hope it's true but... will wait for the investigation to complete.

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@rsmth2and you trust ippei’s words over Ohtani 😂😂😂😂

[@mjt07f]

That's hilarious...$4.5M is 10% of his net worth...you think he had that in a checking account and never saw the balance decrease?! None of his money managers pointed it out?! Hahaha

[@claudiajames891]

Shohei will "Show" everyone!❤😊 Go Dodgers!!

[@marthabrito503]

Let’s just open the season and forget any non game related nonsense

[@CosminCosyCodes]

The most dodger fan comment. Not going to happen.

[@Welcometotheclipshow]

Still don’t understand how that first interview between ESPN and the translator happened. Wouldn’t someone from Ohtanis camp need to approve that?

[@edwardrice2848]

This story is 100% believable - things like this - albeit on a lower scale - happen in the workplace. I’ve been around it twice and it’s usually when environments are too lax and you have an active addict (typically unknown at the time) that has access in some way to money without oversight/incompetent oversight or they are the sole oversight themselves and trusted. It was the perfect storm here unfortunately. This is largely the idea behind drug testing. Gambling brings an interesting avenue to it but this shit happens and is a concern for businesses. I feel bad for Shohei - he was probably overly trusting and hands off with his money. The language barrier likely made it worse and Ippei translating is again the perfect storm. It’ll be interesting to see how far this goes - I would imagine Ippei started smaller at first and this may end up growing with LE involvement. I wonder too if Ippei communicated with Shohei prior to stealing if Shohei would’ve helped him. I also wonder if when Ippei ‘came clean’ to Shohei if his angle was to have Shohei cover for him and say it was authorized. He was likely trying to manipulate until the end. I even feel some empathy for Ippei in this, it’s all sad.

[@jasonpendergraft4511]

I think this is Ohtani lawyers protecting him from further legal exposure. Several $500,000 transactions without either Ohtani or a financial representative acting while keeping Ohtani informed seems unlikely. I also believe that Ohtani was not involved beyond the scope that Mizuhara explained in his statement and should not face any negative reactions from the public or press and should not be receiving anymore attention publicly anymore regarding the matter. Ohtani does not seem like the most experienced person in dealing with the negative side of life. It seems more likely than not that Ohtani made a personal trust mistake and his lawyers are keeping it from impacting him anymore. The press should turn their focus to Mizuhara exclusively,but won’t because Shohei name gets clicks.

[@steely10]

Ohtani does not know sports, why would he bet on them? Ohtani sounded credible, forceful. Shohei needs to learn English for his own protection

[@Dr.yes1963]

I lived in Japan and can tell you English and Japanese are extremely different languages and difficult to learn. English is taught in grade school in Japan and yet very few become conversant in English. Like it or not, he needs to figure out who he can trust.

[@oza8578]

Done!

[@dianeschroeder3980]

I agree with you Dmac that Shohei absolutely sold his innocence with the utmost sincerity. A strong presser like this will quiet the haters. Feel better soon!⚾️⚾️🍀

[@k-matsu]

The only objection I have to this is the "Breaks his silence" bit... This is exactly the story that the Japanese press has been reporting for two days. That tells me that either he or his representative was putting out the information for at least 48 hours, and the US press was incapable of reporting it. Now . . . . the question of whether that was deliberate (because the "speculation" made for better clickbait) or whether it simply shows that US media outleta are incapable of reading/ researching/ understanding Japanese media reports . . . thats up to you to decide.

[@yongyi2785]

If your wife cheats on you (obviously you were not aware until she got caught), you are guilty of it?

[@sb17146]

What a strange analogy.. this is more in the lines of your wife committing a hit and run using your car, and the authorities tracing it back to you.

[@死神-j9v]

@@sb17146 that's a good one... and in your example, you are completely innocent...

[@sb17146]

@@死神-j9v yup I know.

[@DjDobleU809]

I can't believe I'm saying this but I don't 100% believe Ohtani when he's reading out of a book. The truth will come out eventually.

[@GinAndTonic1771]

Paul McCartney paid little money to his sidekick Mal Evans, who went beyond the role as his roadie. Shohei should have learned from Paul.

[@judyalcatraz918]

Ok now that that's cleared up .....let's goooo dodgers and take October by storm !!!

[@PlanetAnimal-gf8fh]

This won’t be over for years, maybe never. Pete Rose claimed he never bet on baseball for years.

[@salmonjason4470]

The interpreter E-pay Mizuhara lied about his attendance at UC Riverside, lied about working for Red Sox and the Yankees. He was into gambling to the point he attended a casino school. I'm sure E-pay got screwed over by the illegal bookie but it's his fault for having gambling especially illegal gambling as his vice. He's caused a lot of damage to Shohei's reputation to a lot of people. Obviously the people in Japan know E-pay is in the wrong but there are a lot of people in the US that still doubts Shohei and sees E-pay as the "fall guy" because E-pay tried to weasel his way out of trouble without being straight up with Shohei first.

[@eds6535]

Done ! Unfortunately it is an oft-occurring situation where the manager/assistant/aide etc.decides that they need a bigger “piece of the action” than they are getting and starts taking what they want. Being in a position as translator makes it easier, so Issei fed him only what he wanted Shohei, the media and the club what he wanted him to know. And sadly, this was someone who was not only a translator but also a friend. Ohtani will get out of this, but I feel sorry for him. He’ll probably never trust anyone again and also have a hard time accepting someone as a friend. Reality sucks sometimes!

[@misterthi]

I want to watch a documentary on Ippei trying to travel safely back to Japan.

[@keijiazum9282]

isnt ippei american?

[@mh-do3pe]

​@@keijiazum9282yeah, he's a SoCal dude

[@nonotreally1]

My concern is with this simplistic explanation of everything. A full investigation is needed before people start declaring what exactly occurred. A gambling problem like this doesn’t just unfold overnight and payments over time shouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Ohtani deserves a fair investigation, but at the same time many questions still need to be answered.

[@unclecharliepr]

We just have to wait and see on what door the FBI knock....!!

[@bencreighton8544]

I agree with your assessments, DMAC. As far as Ohtani's explanation? As someone said in a previous conversation: "Works for me. Let's play ball." 'Nuff said.

[@myplane150]

Nice to see Will again. He sure has had a nice Dodger career...☺

[@beerussama7093]

Ippei living the Frank Abagnale life 😂

[@andrewrea2799]

Ontani seemed completely believable and his perspective of what happened makes sense out of the initial confusion.

[@cirecomputers]

I AGREE with your assessment of the Ohtani statement. That being said, THE one thing we all want to know that we'll probably NEVER know is; How did Ippei get or have access to Ohtani's money\accounts??? The reason we will probably never know the answer to this question is CUPABILITY. If Ohtani addresses this question, which he did NOT, he probably could be at least partially culpable for ippei's payments to the OC bookee. I agree 100% it's a sad situation. Ohtani was composed and confident. But the big question is and will continue to be. HOW did Ippei get 4.5 million dollars out of Ohtani's account??? How were there no red flags to his accounting or financial teams??? I mean when I buy something unusual for a $1,000 from Aliexpress..... I get an immediate call from my bank asking if this was really me who made this transaction and to verify who I am. HOW was this not in place for Ohtani?

[@babeljeffu6535]

What do you mean how did he access Ohtani's account? The bloke did basically EVERYTHING in his place he drove him around he shopped for him meaning he obviously had access to Ohtani's physical cards debit credit and whatnot. He is the guy that Ohtani entrusted to make sure that his transition the the US would go smoothly. Let's wait for more facts to come out but it is going to get real obscure for Ippei from here on out.

[@minkamo7920]

Mizuhara used "Check Writing Privileges" for online electronic funds transfer. Agents can send up to $500,000 at a time with online. The agent in this case is probably Mizuhara.

[@josephwootenVGK]

Of course Shohei Ohtani it's going to come out and say he didn't bet on baseball. The Interpreter is the perfect Fall Guy. and I can give you 700 million reasons why.

[@iwubfood1]

If you’re so confident Ohtani is the one gambling would you willing to bet for $5k that the interpreter was the one who gamble and not Ohtani because I will bet you Ohtani is innocent based oh his clean history and the interpreter shady past of gambling. But why would you take the word of a culprit/liar as “fact” in the first place?

[@josephwootenVGK]

@@iwubfood1 EASY 700 million plus reasons for Shohei Ohtani to lose. Pull your head out of the sand and look at the possibility.

[@verbalkint5450]

How can Ohtani not know anything about anything, until Ippei told him the details AFTER informing the rest of the team in the team meeting?? Close pals, best friends? Wild, crazy stuff.

[@playmeortrademe]

I did not have Ippei backstabbing his “best friend” on my bingo card

[@garya.2281]

Goated Comment 😂

[@Dr.yes1963]

This incident is a good indicator about how many haters there are for the Dodgers and Otahni, starting with the LA Times's writers who ordered him to "grow up." AmThis guy was a victim of betrayal and theft. His "friend" for his part is an addict, and like many addicts, chose his addiction over his friend. I'm glad the Dodger players are behind him 100%, and so am I.

[@jeffyv2]

Of course he's going to come out and say what he said.. this is just going to get swept under the rug

[@estern001]

Silver lining - Shohei knowing he wanted to play ball in MLB, should have learned English. This is the best lesson he could have had to get his ass in gear for English classes.

[@garya.2281]

💯 your in America now ACT LIKE IT! Lol

[@annpence4830]

Who started asking questions in Korea, and why? What was the tip-off/how did it first come out?

[@user-mm1wj8il4n]

Ok, for those wonding what's going on legally Shohei said that he paid off his interpreter gambling debts at first when he was confronted by federal authorities after they raided the gambling house where his name popped up on people paying this gambling group money. He informed them at first he paid off the debts which legally speaking is the same thing as gambling because he took over the money debts of his interpreter. Fast foward to later when I'm sure Ohtani legal advisors told him to change his story to where he is now saying he stole his money and not the other way around. Now, for someone like me living in Japan I can tell you there is no chance in hell his interpreter had access to Ohtani's bank accounts in Japan. His interpreter was American citizen with no access to anything Japanese related in Japan bank-wise. Now, if Ohtani has American bank accounts that's another story but the bottom line is they are going with the he stole my money story but in my opinion it sounds like one big lie to protect Ohtani's baseball career in the United States.

[@socalfun64]

What I find so insincere is that Shohei 100% needs an interpreter. You always see him talking to his teammates laughing and chatting away. I’ve always thought he just wants to keep the media at arms length. Can’t blame him.

[@mandoist]

Raise your hand if you ever had "signed" checks for millions of dollars in your bank statements and didn't know it...?? Othani should have done two things by now: 1) File charges against his former best buddy. 2) Investigate his accountant(s).

[@kannon0216]

He still needs to answer the following two questions. 1.) How did Ippei have access to his bank account? 2.) How did he not notice multiple $500,000 payments leaving his account over several months? Question 2 is important. Only Ohtani and Ippei had access to his bank accounts? No one else noticed multiple payments leaving his account? It makes zero sense from a logical standpoint.

[@gabrielangel2502]

If you’re a multimillionaire you’re not checking your bank account all the time. Thats a broke person move

[@kannon0216]

@@gabrielangel2502 But you absolutely have people who are professionals in that area checking your accounts. Not an interpreter.

[@kannon0216]

@NatalieR-nu5bp You're not smart. I'm sorry. My best friend is a financial advisor in Naples, Florida. He primarily works with old millionaires and businesses who deal with lots of investments. I asked him if it was possible, and he said it was. But only for people who are irresponsible and don't have advisors/accountants. The people this happens to are those who leave their accounts up to family members and in Ohtani's case, an interpreter, with no financial background. It happens to ignorant people who don't know have accounts and/or financial advisors.

[@aznpanda510x]

It happen to good people. His friend was getting paid 300K and still!!! Life was to easy for him. Since he doesn’t have to workout and play baseball. I can see him use ohtani account to pay his debt

[@seanallen3948]

For the haters who think Ippi is covering for Shohei: why would Shohei lie when this is all being investigated and any lie would be discovered? Makes no sense.

[@wrylac]

Was watching that open and thinking how sad not to feature the 2020 WS final pitch cause of who threw it.

[@hausbroken6353]

Wow the whole story is kinda of mind blowing and it never really made sense to me until now. Ippiei being the translator can withhold information from Shohei. Lie to him when translating what others are saying I imagine Ippei was in every financial meeting with Shoehei having to go through all the details of every negotiation . I imagine this could also give access to all sorts of financial tools that you would normally never given to someone working for you. Never really thought about how much trust is necessary between a translator and a client.

[@yoma32]

Mizuhara was not just a translator to Ohtani, much more than that. He was a driver, manager, and friend for Ohtani from the time Ohtani came to MLB 6 years ago. Even when Ohtani was playing in Japan, Ohtani and Mizuhara belonged to the same baseball team.

[@marcuscampos2887]

As a fellow degen if Ohtani isn’t one of us I will be disappointed 😔 but will still be happy to watch him play for our dodgers One of us !!!

[@saulmartinez546]

🧢 Doug has to push this narrative, he wants to keep reporting from dodger stadium

[@garya.2281]

Unfortunately he's been bought and paid for, we've lost our Dougie

[@thunnuso6792]

Give Joe Kelly 5 mins with Ippei and Ippei will sing like a nightingale…

[@hopespringseternal2624]

I am reserving judgement until the FBI finishes their investigation and issues a report on the matter.

[@jazrod1585]

I believe him. He’s going to be fine.

[@VictorHernandez-iv7vu]

The authorities and IRS is fully involved in this case. If he had anything at all to do with this there is no way in hell his lawyers and the team would have allowed him to get up there and clear the air like they did. Instead, they would have waited to make any statement in a court of law. Play Ball!

[@mikeellis4345]

Innocent until proven guilty is a concept foreign to many keyboard warriors… until it’s them .

[@deucenahaff]

Anybody thinking that somebody "got" to Mizuhara and made him some promises if he falls on his sword? I'm just sayin'.

[@iwubfood1]

Or he was caught lying so he changed his story? Why are you defending the culprit with a past gambling history over a traditional Japanese young man who doesn’t drink and hates to gamble and party when all he wants to do is play baseball?

[@DrJohnnyChow]

Ohtani hates gambling. If he knew Ippei had been gambling behind his back, he would have fired Ippei right away! Even Ippei’s wife had no clue he was gambling!

[@bchillbong-uf2io]

It sure is interesting to see a dodger pages perspective on all of this.

[@vijaynair2403]

Haha! I love how a Dodgers channel calls it the “Ippei Mizuhara Scandal” 😂

[@dasaga3rd827]

Ippei Mizuhara has been telling two contradicting stories and we now know that he's been lying about his education and job background. So who believe him? There is no rationale in giving credit to Mizuhara over Shohei Ohtani. Some of the media who got 'fooled' by Mizuhara's lies are so frustrated they're trying to attack Ohtani. Their accusations should be directed towards Mizuhara and not Ohtani.

[@DrJohnnyChow]

The only way to clarify this mess: Both Ohtani and Ippei take a polygraph lie detector test on Live TV! If Ohtani is 100% innocent, take the polygraph! Otherwise, his legacy will forever be tainted!