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A long-standing friendship fades away due to lies and potential “theft.”
It was just after 6 a.m. West Coast time — or 10 p.m. on a Wednesday in Seoul — when television cameras captured two old friends enjoying each other's company at the Gochuk Sky Dome's visiting hideout.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were one away from a season-opening 5-2 victory over the rival San Diego Padres in an international series some 6,000 miles away from Chavez Ravine.
In the bottom of the ninth, cameras captured a friendly conversation between Dodgers all-star Shohei Ohtani and his old friend and translator Ibe Mizuhara.
The duo had known each other for years. Mizuhara translated for Ohtani in negotiations with six major league baseball teams before the two-pitch phenom beat out the Dodgers to sign with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.
The translator hailed from Diamond Bar High School and was also relatively unknown outside baseball circles with his first being mentioned in The Times on March 3, 2018, briefly noting his “Beatles-like mop top.”
Within hours of their playful conversation in the ninth inning, the relationship between the two men was permanently changed.
Mizuhara was abruptly fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday after embroiling himself and Ohtani in a gambling controversy that has since prompted a Major League Baseball investigation.
Lost in translation
Ohtani has not been charged with a crime.
However, his name had already been compared to those of famous baseball gamblers, such as Pete Rose, who was accused of gambling as a player and manager, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox, known as the “Black Sox,” who intentionally gambled. He eliminated the World Series that year.
The controversy, in essence, was revealed when The Times published a story that Ohtani's representatives had accused Mizuhara of committing a “large-scale theft” of the ballplayer's money linked to gambling with an alleged illegal bookmaker.
Ohtani's name came up in the federal investigation into Matthew Boyer of San Juan Capistrano. Boyer's lawyer insists his client has not been accused of a crime.
ESPN reported that the money involved amounted to at least $4.5 million.
A spokesman for Ohtani told ESPN on Tuesday evening that the ballplayer intentionally covered up gambling debts incurred by Mizuhara. ESPN reported that Mizuhara informed the Dodgers after their win that a story would be published soon detailing the situation. But he did not mention anything about the theft.
What did he know and when did he know it?
But by the next morning, the stories had changed.
Ohtani's spokesman said that previous statements made on behalf of the football player were not accurate.
Mizuhara also admitted that he lied and never told Ohtani about his debts and that his friend did not transfer money to his bookie or any of his associates.
The Dodgers replaced Mizuhara with Will Ireton, the team's director of performance operations who once served as an interpreter for former pitcher Kenta Maeda.
As for what's next, The Times has been covering articles, videos and daily updates on this developing story. Stay tuned.
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(Los Angeles Times illustration; Photo by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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First column
The First Column is the Times' home for narrative and long-form journalism. Here's a great piece from this week:
Zoomers fear them. Boomers want more of them. Millennials will continue to make them for the rest of the year. Born between approximately 2010 and the end of 2024, Generation Alpha is the demographic successor to Generation Z. Its oldest members aren't quite ready for five years, while their youngest will fall pregnant in the coming weeks. Blame it on poor parenting by millennials, tech companies, or both — but many of those responsible for setting the discourse online agree we should be worried about them.
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For your weekend
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Immerse yourself in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
I met the executive chef in November 2022 at one of the upscale Las Vegas restaurants where he worked. I sat alone at the bar and ordered omakase, which meant he organized more than a dozen courses for me. The chef caught my happy dance from behind the bar. We smiled at each other. Then, being the straight girl I am, I asked him if he wanted to go back to my hotel room where we had sex and cuddled until I fell asleep. He ended up getting married and having two children.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Andrew J. Campa, Reporter
Carlos Lozano, News Editor
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