LOS ANGELES — Just a few weeks ago, Shohei Ohtani laughed in the dugout alongside Ippei Mizuhara during the Dodgers‘ season opener in Seoul, blissfully unaware at the time of the alleged deception, lies and theft of more than $16 million that would lead to his longtime performer being fired by the Dodgers and charged with fraud banking by federal prosecutors.
Mizuhara appeared in U.S. District Court last Friday with chains around his ankles as he surrendered to authorities after being accused of stealing millions from Ohtani to pay off illegal gambling debts. A few hours later, “The Show Goes On” blared through the speakers at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani stepped up to the plate and followed the advice of his walk-in song.
In his first at-bat after learning of the accusations against Mizuhara – a friend he had known for more than a decade, a confidant in whom he had placed exorbitant trust upon his arrival in the major leagues in 2018, and, ultimately, an accused crook who would violate his enormous faith – Ohtani lofted a 403-foot home run into the cold, crisp evening air and into the left-field pavilion.
It was his 175th career home run, a milestone that tied Hideki Matsui for the most home runs in major league history by a player of Japanese descent, and it encapsulated the extraordinary ability of Ohtani to compartmentalize in the middle of a stunning scandal that never seemed to come to fruition. visibly bothering or distracting him, according to several teammates and coaches.
“You never learn anything about a person until they’ve been through some adversity, whether it’s on the field or, in this case, off the field,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I’ve learned that he’s unflappable. He really is.”
After starting his career with the Dodgers going 8-for-33 (.242) without a home run, some wondered if the saga of the game and Mizuhara’s betrayal might weigh on Ohtani. But quickly, the modest beginning of his $700 million deal became a distant memory. Ohtani said that no matter what happens off the field, it’s always his job to play to the best of his abilities.
He rebounded by ending an eight-game hitting streak, in which he went 16-for-35 (.457) with four home runs, looking increasingly comfortable at the plate even during the height of Controversy. Even with his hitting streak now over, Ohtani entered Monday leading the majors in doubles, extra-base hits and total bases.
“He’s also recovering from surgery, he’s pitching now, and he’s keeping things very light in the clubhouse, not making this whole scandal a distraction for him or for us in the clubhouse,” said l shortstop Miguel Rojas. “It’s really nice the way he handles things.”
Rojas admired the fact that even when Ohtani didn’t play the way he wanted, Ohtani’s demeanor never changed.
This could be attributed to his innocence, which his teammates and coaches never questioned. But even though the stress didn’t seem to weigh on Ohtani, they still felt compassion for him throughout the ordeal, which Roberts thinks Ohtani handled “brilliantly.”
“He’s very stoic,” Roberts said. “You just don’t know his emotions. He comes in the same way every day. You never know if things are good or if things are bad, he has things on his mind. He’s just a pro. He just wants to play baseball.”
James Outman compared this stoicism to the way Bets on Mookie, Freddie Freeman and “all the big players” always seem to find a way to stay locked in.
“You could tell he’s trained well just with all the media attention he’s getting anyway, being able to understand what he’s doing,” Outman said. “It’s pretty impressive, to be honest.”
Over the past few weeks, the Dodgers have gotten more information about how Ohtani is working. Being a designated hitter can sometimes put a player “a little bit on an island,” as Roberts explained, but the Dodgers manager was encouraged that Ohtani always engaged with those around him.
Rojas learned that Ohtani tends to stay quietly alone during his diligent preparation and cage work, but the two-time MVP is also quick to laugh and joke with his teammates. And on game days, Rojas and Outman appreciated Ohtani’s willingness to communicate after an at-bat and share characteristics of pitches he saw.
“He gives all the information he can to the next guy because he’s trying to win,” Outman told FOX Sports. “We talk about baseball. He speaks the same language when it comes to baseball.”
The language barrier didn’t stop his teammates from noticing his sense of humor either. On Saturday, Ohtani had a conversation in Japanese with Yoshinobu Yamamoto a few lockers. Rojas said he didn’t understand what they were talking about, but Ohtani’s laugh was always contagious.
(Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.)
“Just being in the clubhouse and looking like he’s enjoying his surroundings makes me feel like he’s leaving everything behind,” Rojas said. “We don’t know how he feels when he gets home, but at least at the ballpark he seems to be having a really good time with us.”
According to Roberts, this could be attributed in part to Mizuhara’s departure.
With his longtime interpreter gone, no longer serving as Ohtani’s shadow at the stadium, Roberts believed a “buffer” had been removed. He saw Ohtani start to connect more with the staff and his teammates. The double MVP has become more accessible.
“I thought it freed him,” Roberts reiterated last week.
Of course, Ohtani’s first home run as a Dodger was also achieved – a majestic 430-foot takeoff off the field. giants‘ Taylor Rogers on April 3, it certainly gave the slugger some relief after his slow start. The deep workout ended an eight-game home run streak that was the longest of his career to start a season, but it wasn’t until Ohtani reached the top steps of the dugout, when his teammate Teoscar Hernández showered him with sunflower seeds, which he finally smiled at. Hernández, in particular, formed a close relationship with Ohtani during their first season with the Dodgers. It started quickly in spring trainingwhen Hernández began teaching the Japanese slugger different phrases in Spanish.
“I think the best thing we can do is treat him like a regular baseball player, like everyone else in the clubhouse,” Roberts said. “I think someone so unique and so talented that people tend to hesitate and walk away. But in the clubhouse, you can’t do that.”
Roberts isn’t sure if Ohtani has truly managed to separate his professional and personal life as he has made it seem or if the two-time MVP simply has “a good poker face.” He figures it’s probably somewhere in between. But if the last few weeks have hurt Ohtani, he has hid it masterfully since news broke of Mizuhara’s involvement in wire transfers made from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker.
A few days later, at a press conference on March 25, Ohtani presented his version of events in a matter-of-fact tone. In a statement lasting almost 12 minutes, Ohtani vehemently denied ever betting on sports, ever asking anyone to do so on his behalf, and having any knowledge of the payments. His calm demeanor belied his disbelief.
“To sum up how I feel right now, I’m just beyond shocked,” Ohtani said, days after Mizuhara confessed to him after a team meeting in Korea. “It’s really hard to put into words how I feel at this point.”
The extent to which Mizuhara allegedly stole from Ohtani would not be revealed until weeks later.
Reports initially suggested that Mizuhara embezzled an amount in excess of $4.5 million from Ohtani’s bank account. According to a criminal complaint filed last Thursday, the total was actually more than $16 million. In a 37-page report Containing a litany of documents, statements and text messages, the accusations against Mizuhara supported Ohtani’s claims that he was completely unaware of the payments.
“He was exonerated, which we all believe,” Roberts said. “I’m just happy it’s behind us.”
According to the complaint, Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani to open the bank account in question in 2018, convinced Ohtani’s representatives that their star athlete did not want them to monitor the account, and replaced the account details with his own after having started accumulating gambling debts in 2021. and falsely identified himself as Ohtani to trick bank employees into authorizing wire transfers to the sportsbook. Transfers from the account were allegedly made from devices and IP addresses associated with Mizuhara.
Ohtani has yet to publicly address his reaction to the accusations against Mizuhara, except to provide a brief comment to the Los Angeles Times last week, saying he was “very grateful for the Justice Department’s investigation.” and that it would allow him to “concentrate on baseball.”
That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Ohtani, whose 15 extra-base hits in his first 16 games were the most in Dodgers franchise history. He entered Monday with the five hardest-hit balls of the Dodgers’ season.
“I’m just happy there’s a little more clarity and Shohei can move forward,” Roberts said.
Show must go on.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU graduate, Rowan was born in California, raised in Texas, then returned to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
