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An explosive story involving star Shohei Ohtani, his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, and approximately $4.5 million that initially came from Ohtani's account to pay off a gambling debt to a southern California bookmaker has sent the baseball world into a frenzy. Another part of the saga unraveled Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger made his first public comments about the scandal, during which he pinned the entire fiasco on his longtime friend Mizuhara while effusively stating his own innocence.Here's everything you need to know as the story continues to unfold.How did this start?The Dodgers' sudden and shocking firing of Mizuhara last Wednesday is the moment most would associate with the beginning. The dismissal occurred shortly after Ohtani's lawyers, Berk Brettler LLP, claimed the 29-year-old had "been the victim of massive theft." His lawyers didn't mention who they believed was the perpetrator, refused to take questions, and said authorities were involved. However, we now know the earlier parts of the story. According to ESPN, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred knew of an investigation involving people close to Ohtani as late as Sunday, March 17, and the league contacted federal authorities in search of answers. This developed as the Dodgers and San Diego Padres prepared to play the first regular-season games of the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea, that Wednesday and Thursday - roughly one week before the rest of MLB embarks on Opening Day. Ohtani, Mizuhara, and Manfred were all in Seoul at the time.What happened last week?Over the next couple of days, the Dodgers hired a communications expert specializing in crisis management, who said Ohtani paid off approximately $4.5 million in gambling debt on Mizuhara's behalf in $500,000 increments. The spokesperson spoke with Ohtani through Mizuhara.Mizuhara then sat down for a 90-minute interview with ESPN, during which he explained that he initially began gambling with Mathew Bowyer's southern California book shortly after meeting him in 2021. Bowyer himself is now also the subject of a federal investigation. Mizuhara also claims that he approached Ohtani to help pay off his debts when they reached $4 million by early 2023. He also states that Ohtani has never gambled and that Ohtani believes gambling is "terrible."Following the Dodgers' 5-2 season-opening win against the Padres on Wednesday, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told the entire roster that a negative news story was coming out and that Ohtani helped Mizuhara pay off gambling debts. Later that day, Ohtani noticed the money missing from his account.Mizuhara was fired after Thursday's game. Following his termination, he admitted that he lied during the 90-minute interview with ESPN, specifically walking back that Ohtani knew about his gambling, and stating that he is "ready to face all the consequences."Who is Ippei Mizuhara? Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / GettyMizuhara met Ohtani in 2013 while they worked for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.At the time, Mizuhara served as the interpreter for English-speaking players, including, at one point, Jeremy Hermida, Anthony Bass, and Chris Martin, among others.Mizuhara and Ohtani developed a decade-long friendship, with the former getting hired as the latter's personal interpreter when the Los Angeles Angels signed Ohtani in 2017. Mizuhara even served as Ohtani's catcher during the 2021 Home Run Derby.In the interview with ESPN, Mizuhara said the two were like "brothers" and that his wife knew less about his gambling debt than Ohtani. However, Ohtani later disputed knowing about the interpreter's gambling, and Mizuhara also admitted he had lied.Where are we now?On Monday, Ohtani made his first public comments since Mizuhara's termination. The Dodgers' new interpreter, Will Ireton, translated as the star read a prepared statement in Japanese.In his statement, Ohtani said he didn't know about Mizuhara's gambling addiction or debt and found out about it during last Wednesday's team meeting. He added that he never agreed to pay off the losses, saying Mizuhara "was sending money, using my account, to the bookmaker."This part arguably creates the most conjecture, with some suspicious that Ohtani wouldn't notice $4.5 million missing from his account. The two-time MVP's story also hinges on the idea that he learned about Mizuhara's claim that he paid off his interpreter's debts at the same time as everyone else on the Dodgers: in that team meeting last Wednesday.Here's a potential way of making sense of both oddities.First, Ohtani has made roughly $40 million in MLB career earnings to date and is likely in a financial situation that wouldn't warrant checking his account frequently. That estimate doesn't include endorsements or money made during his time in NPB. At first glance, his account being short $4.5 million might not have been noticeable.Second, Friedman would've gotten the information that Ohtani was helping Mizuhara pay off his ...
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