"Nothing about this seems believable" - Fans not buying reports suggesting Ippei Mizuhara tampered with Shohei Ohtani’s bank account

Shohei Ohtani's former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, faced allegations of siphoning a million dollars from Ohtani's bank account to settle his gambling debts with a bookie.

Almost three weeks after Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers organization for his misdemeanors, both federal authorities and the MLB opened up separate investigations into the alleged gambling scandal involving him.

The severity of the case even led to multiple interrogations of Ohtani. However, recent reports suggest that Mizuhara is negotiating a guilt plea in court, potentially signaling the nearing conclusion of the scandal.

However, MLB fans remain unconvinced by the notion that only Ippei was involved in this scandal. Many fans have voiced their dazed opinions, suggesting that the case may be more complicated than portrayed in the media and are reluctant to accept the latest conclusion.

"Nothing about this seems believable"

Two weeks ago, Shohei Ohtani faced questions from the media regarding the gambling scandal involving his former translator. He said,

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf.

"And I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know this was happening."

Many fans blamed Shotime, speculating about his potential involvement in the alleged scandal involving Ippei Mizuhara, and were rigid in their point of view regarding the same.

"We are one step closer from saying Ippe was Ohtani’s wife," said one fan

"Imagine believing that one could simply "turn off notifications" for $450K wires," said another fan

"Very suspicious. The bank still would’ve called Ohtani getting confirmation that a transaction was being made," said yet another one

The LA Dodgers had parted ways with Ippei during the Seoul Series after Ohtani's lawyers accused Mizuhara of siphoning the money. While the case will draw to a close soon, lingering questions will keep lurking about Shohei's honesty and integrity, despite no case being made against him.

Shohei Ohtani had known Ippei Mizuhara since his playing days with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the NPB

The two-way ace had joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as a rookie in 2013, where he first met Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara, who had traveled from America to work with the NPB ball club, had been a translator during Ohtani's early days.

When Ohtani made the move to the LA Angels in 2018, he brought Mizuhara along with him. The partnership continued when Shotime signed the biggest contract with the LA Dodgers during the past offseason.

Shohei Ohtani had known Ippei Mizuhara for well over a decade before their fallout was triggered by Mizuhara's dismissal from the Dodgers organization.