"He knows what the score will be already!" - Fans poke fun as Shohei Ohtani graces Dodger Stadium for Opening Day amid recent allegations

Shohei Ohtani graces Dodger Stadium for Opening Day amid recent allegations
Shohei Ohtani graces Dodger Stadium for Opening Day amid recent allegations

Shohei Ohtani turned up for Opening Day and his Dodger home debut in the 2024 regular season in khakee pants and a white New Balance T-shirt.

Ohtani produced two hits on his Dodgers debut and scored a run off Freddie Freeman's home run in the bottom of the third inning.

MLB fans took a dig at Shohei Ohtani as he arrived inside the Dodger Stadium because of recent gambling debts. News of his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, surfaced last week during the Seoul Series.

While Ohtani only addressed the media on March 25, he voiced his discontent and disappointment with Ippei, who has been charged with embezzlement by the MLB and the IRS.

Fans took to X to direct their snarky remarks at Shohei:

Shohei Ohtani had competitively distanced himself from the internal theft case that was charged against Ippei.

Ohtani told the media that he had no idea that Mizuhara was using his account to send wire transfers to a suspicious bookmaker's account, and the same was iterated by Shotime's lawyers as they filed an embezzlement case against his former translator. The LA Dodgers immediately fired Ippei Mizuhara as the news broke during the Seoul Series.

Here are some more reactions from fans:


Ippei Mizuhara has been accused of embezzling almost $4.5 million from Shohei Ohtani's account

Ippei Mizuhara was a long-time friend of the two-way ace and has been his interpreter since he made his way from the NPB to the MLB in 2018 with the LA Angels in Anaheim. Ohtani trusted Mizuhara as he accompanied him everywhere, both on and off the field.

But a dark truth surfaced during the LA Dodgers two-game regular season series against the SD Paders in Seoul, which alledged Ippei to have made almost $4.5 million in wire transfers to a suspicious bookmaker via Shohei Ohtani's bank account. The development caused an uproar inside the Dodgers organization and ultimately led to the immediate firing of Mizuhara.

Ohtani's lawyers accused Ippei Mizuhara of massive internal theft and claimed that their client was a victim of these unknown illegal wire transfers made in his name.

As both the MLB and IRS opened their individual investigations into the cases, statements from all the concerned parties will be recorded, inculding the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.

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