Shohei Ohtani deletes social media pics with ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara following gambling controversy

Shohei Ohtani has become a major story in recent days, and while this is nothing new for the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, this time it isn't positive. Ohtani had worked closely with his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, since his arrival in the USA with the LA Angels in 2017, and the two had appeared close.

It seems that relationship is now over, due to Mizuhara's alleged gambling with a Californian bookmaking operation, with which he reportedly accrued $4.5 million in debt. After initially saying Ohtani had paid his debts off, Mizuhara changed his story the following day.

Ohtani's legal representatives state that the two-way star has been the victim of theft, and now Ohtani has deleted all his Instagram photos with Mizuhara. This may have been at the recommendation of his attorneys or those of the Dodgers, who will also not want Ohtani to be in any form of contact with his former interpreter.

Ippei Mizuhara maintains Shohei Ohtani knew nothing of his gambling, MLB opens investigation

Ippei Mizuhara has stated that Shohei Ohtani knew nothing of his betting, and also told ESPN that he never bet on baseball games:

"I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.

"I never bet on baseball," Mizuhara said to ESPN. "That's 100 percent. I knew that rule."

If Mizuhara is discovered to have gambled on baseball games, he has violated the MLB's gambling policy for employees. Given the circumstances and allegations, the Dodgers dismissed Ippei Mizuhara.

After initially saying Ohtani paid off his debts, the interpreter changed his story on Wednesday to ESPN and said:

"Obviously, this is all my fault, everything I've done," he said. "I'm ready to face all the consequences."

Ohtani's representatives allege the Dodgers star has been the victim of theft and have turned the matter over to authorities, and the MLB has opened its own investigation. The league released the following statement on Friday:

“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.”

With the situation unfolding, more updates will follow in due course.