"We get to have those conversations one on one” - Dave Roberts on Shohei Ohtani's situation inside clubhouse after Ippei Mizuhara's departure

Shohei Ohtani has turned up a notch higher in the last few days. The reigning AL MVP has started to dominate the National League after hitting four home runs in the last three games. Ohtani went 10-for-15 in his last four games, recording eight RBIs and six runs.

There were concerns that Shohei Ohtani might be affected by his involvement in the alleged gambling case of his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, early in the season. His initial performance in the "Seoul Series" only fueled these doubts. Despite this, Ohtani has once again demonstrated his impressive hitting abilities.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believed Ohtani's fallout with Mizuhara helped him become closer to the team. In a recent episode of "The Windup" podcast by The Athletic, hosted by Doug Glanville and Jayson Stack, Roberts discussed how Mizuhara's departure has influenced Ohtani in a good way.

“Shohei just was forced to kind of be on his own, which I think was the best thing that happened to him. I really do,” Roberts said. “I use the term buffer. There’s no longer a buffer between teammates. There’s no longer a buffer between coaches, front office. And so now, we get to have those conversations one-on-one. There’s no more one-off.”

“In scouting reports and meetings, he’s obviously present. His English is fantastic. And so you can just see how everyone’s talking to him and his play is kind of echoing that.”

Shohei Ohtani confessed to never gambling before

Mizuhara was one of the dearest friends of Shohei Ohtani, who had been with him since he first came to America. He was on Ohtani’s side throughout his Angels’ years and the Dodgers also brought him along with Ohtani this year.

However, Mizuhara was alleged in a gambling scandal whose investigation is still ongoing. And Ohtani got involved with the case when Mizuhara told ESPN that Shohei helped him pay off his gambling debt (which he later confessed to lying about).

A federal investigation linked Mizuhara to the alleged case, using personal conversations as evidence. A whopping amount of more than $16 million is alleged to have been stolen by Mizuhara from Ohtani's account.

Shohei Ohtani cooperated in the federal investigation and held a news conference where he admitted to never gambling alone or with someone on his behalf.

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf. I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports," said Ohtani.

Mizhuahra is currently under a bank fraud felony charge, while Shohei Ohtani is under no charge. The investigation continues as the LA Dodgers (24-13) remain at the top of the NL West with their star, Shoei Ohtani, leading them on their hot streak.