MLB Announces Investigation Into Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhari Gambling Accusations

Two days after the story broke about Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara‘s involvement in a gambling scandal, Major League Baseball announced they’re formally launching a probe into the matter. After days of silence, they released an official statement on the matter Friday afternoon.

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter.”

There have been enough twists and turns in the saga over the last 48 hours to fill a soap opera. ESPN provided a thorough timeline of what happened before its story broke and the fallout since the public became aware of the allegations against Mizuhara.

The main question regards Ohtani’s involvement — what he knew and when. There have been conflicting reports with the key figures and their representatives changing their tune several times.

For instance, Ohtani’s representatives claim he was the victim of "massive theft" after $4.5 million in wire transfers from his accounts were allegedly used to pay off Mizuhara's gambling debts. Mizuhara initially claimed Ohtani knew about his debts and agreed to pay them off for him before changing his tune and stating that the two-time AL MVP knew nothing about it.

For more about the developing story, be sure to check out our explainer hub with updated information as it becomes available.