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The early weeks of the 2024 MLB season brought renewed scrutiny and controversy to Shohei Ohtani -- an unusually-private superstar who is almost as well-known for his "regular" lifestyle as he is for his exploits on the diamond. Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was alleged to have transferred millions of dollars from the two-time AL MVP's bank in order to cover gambling debts in southern California -- and both MLB and the United States government opened an investigation into what happened.
After weeks of investigations -- and Mizuhara making appearances in court -- a major development has taken place that has cleared Ohtani of wrongdoing as the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter tries to power his team to a championship in 2024.
Mizuhara enters his plea and MLB clears Ohtani
Mizuhara on Tuesday appeared in federal court, and he pleaded guilty to one charge of bank fraud, as well as one count of filing a false tax return. His maximum sentence will be determined in October, and it is possible that the man once considered Ohtani's "best friend" could be sent to prison for more than three decades.
The guilty plea was the final piece that MLB needed to solve the puzzle presented by this scandal. The league has now cleared Ohtani of wrongdoing, believing that the player -- arguably the game's most popular -- was a victim of massive fraud, as the government determined that Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani in order to transfer funds that would cover his massive gambling debts.
The court plea and statement from MLB seems to bring to an end this unsavory scandal -- although baseball's betting problem is back, and in a big way. Ohtani seems to have put it behind him and is hitting as well as he ever has -- entering Tuesday night, he is batting .322 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases.