Shohei Ohtani has been in the news on an almost daily basis since he announced about signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. From his $700 million contract, his marriage to Mamiko Tanaka and a gambling scandal involving former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani has been the topic of a lot of conversation.
Being part of a gambling investigation in the MLB came with stress, and Ohtani discussed the effects it had on him after Tuesday's 10-2 win against the San Francisco Giants. Ohtani has been cleared of any suspicion and told the media, via his new interpreter, Will Ireton:
"Initially I really didn't have much sleep, obviously, with the things that were happening, but now I've been able to really have a pretty consistent routine, been able to sleep well, so I think those are leading to good results.
"I think, really, as the incidents progressed and I was basically doing what I can to show that I'm fine, and as the incidents were progressing and the investigation was going on and I was starting to not be involved anymore, that's when I was able to really focus on my sleep and being able to sleep better."
An in-form Shohei Ohtani was on display on Tuesday, as he registered three hits and a home run in the Dodgers' resounding win at Oracle Park.
Shohei Ohtani thought he had cleared Levi’s Landing
While speaking to reporters, Shohei Ohtani discussed Oracle Park, the Dodgers-Giants rivalry and his home run, which he thought was going to clear Levi's Landing:
“I thought I hit one today. I was disappointed it didn’t go over.
“The image of the ballpark I have is, it’s very beautiful, historic. I really like the view of this stadium. I’ve seen Barry Bonds hit a lot of home runs, so I’m very familiar with the Dodgers and Giants rivalry.”
With the Dodgers winning the first two matches of the three-game series, they have widened the gap on the second-placed San Diego Padres, who fell to successive defeats to the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers top the NL West at 29-15, while the Padres have been inconsistent, as is displayed by their 22-23 record.