Shohei OhtaniB次元官网网址檚 interpreter and close friend was fired by the following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.

Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, 39, was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million. The team is in Seoul this week as , and Mizuhara was in Los AngelesB次元官网网址� dugout during its season-opening win over San Diego.

B次元官网网址淚n the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,B次元官网网址� law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement Wednesday.

Sports gambling is illegal in California, even as 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of it.

Mizuhara is a familiar face to baseball fans as OhtaniB次元官网网址檚 constant companion, interpreting for him with the media and at other appearances since Ohtani came to the U.S. in 2017. He even served as OhtaniB次元官网网址檚 catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to sign a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.

The Dodgers said in a statement they were B次元官网网址渁ware of media reports and are gathering information.

B次元官网网址淭he team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated,B次元官网网址� the statement said. B次元官网网址淭he team has no further comment at this time.B次元官网网址�

Ohtani was in the lineup for the second game of the series Thursday, hitting a single in the first inning as the DodgersB次元官网网址� designated hitter. The

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Mizuhara had a meeting with the team on Wednesday but declined to elaborate. He said he did not know MizuharaB次元官网网址檚 whereabouts and said a different interpreter was being used.

B次元官网网址淎nything with that meeting, I canB次元官网网址檛 comment,B次元官网网址� Roberts said, adding that B次元官网网址淪hoheiB次元官网网址檚 ready. I know that heB次元官网网址檚 preparing.B次元官网网址�

Will Ireton, the DodgersB次元官网网址� manager of performance operations, went to the mound in the first inning to translate for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ireton was Kenta MaedaB次元官网网址檚 translator with the team from 2016-18.

Security at the Gocheok Sky Dome was stepped up Thursday, with police and dogs checking the hallways hours before the game started.

The Ohtani-interpreter news came a day after a reported bomb threat against Ohtani. Police said they found no explosives.

On Tuesday, Mizuhara told ESPN his bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering B次元官网网址� even legally on baseball B次元官网网址� and also ban betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

B次元官网网址淚 never bet on baseball,B次元官网网址� Mizuhara told ESPN. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 100%. I knew that rule B次元官网网址� We have a meeting about that in spring training.B次元官网网址�

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Mizuhara for comment Wednesday.

OhtaniB次元官网网址檚 stardom has spread worldwide, even as the two-way player has remained largely media-shy. The news of his recent marriage to Mamiko Tanaka shocked fans from Japan to the U.S. While he underwent surgery on his right elbow last September and will not pitch this season, he will be used as a DH and there is a possibility he will play in the field. He went 2 for 5 with an RBI in his Dodgers debut.

Mizuhara was seen regularly chatting with Ohtani during WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 game, seemingly discussing his plate appearances over a tablet computer.

Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991 so his father could work as a chef. He attended Diamond Bar High School in eastern Los Angeles County and graduated from the University of California, Riverside, in 2007.

After college, Mizuhara was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima. In 2013, he returned to Japan to translate for English-speaking players on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. ThatB次元官网网址檚 where he first met Ohtani, who joined the team that same year.

After Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017, the team hired Mizuhara to work as his personal interpreter. ESPN said Mizuhara told the outlet this week he has been paid between $300,000 and $500,000 annually.

ESPN said it spoke to Mizuhara on Tuesday night, at which point the interpreter said Ohtani had paid his gambling debts at MizuharaB次元官网网址檚 request. After the statement from OhtaniB次元官网网址檚 attorneys saying the player was a victim of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara changed his story Wednesday and claimed Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

Mizuhara said he incurred more than $1 million in debt by the end of 2022 and his losses increased from there.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,B次元官网网址� Mizuhara said. B次元官网网址淚 mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. ItB次元官网网址檚 like a snowball effect.B次元官网网址�

It would be the biggest gambling scandal for baseball since Pete Rose agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd found Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team.

The MLB gambling policy is, posted in every locker room. Betting on baseball is punishable with a one-year ban from the sport. The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissionerB次元官网网址檚 discretion.