"Sign with Dodgers and it goes away" - Fans throw shade at Shohei Ohtani amid MLB insider's serious allegations against Emmanuel Classe

LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was unexpectedly called out by several fans on Tuesday, as new details were revealed about the ongoing MLB investigation on Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

Clase has been on non-disciplinary paid since late July, while allegations of the Dominican indulging in sports betting continue to be investigated. MLB has strict rules that prohibit all active personnel, including players, umpires, and team staff, from betting on baseball.

As MLB insider Hector Gomez revealed via X on Tuesday, the investigation has reportedly revealed "irrefutable" evidence against Clase, which means he will never play in the big leagues again.

"SOURCE: Emmanuel Clase will never pitch in MLB again. The gambling evidence found against him is irrefutable." Gomez posted to X

Reacting to the shocking news, several fans took shots at Shohei Ohtani, referencing the gambling investigation case the 31-year-old was involved in back in 2024.

"Sign with the Dodgers and it all goes away" a fan wrote

"Now it’s time for Ohtani" another fan commented

"so what about Ohtani the golden boy" another fan replied

"Just like they did with Ohtani. Good 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽" another fan responded

"Crazy how Ohtani was cleared in 2 days but this dude has been banned for life" another fan shared

"In all honesty, they all saw Ohtani get away with it and probably thought, why not me?" another fan posted

Translator Ippei Mizuhara was eventually found guilty in the investigation surrounding Shohei Ohtani

Right after signing with the Dodgers as a free agent, Shohei Ohtani's time in LA did not get off to the best of starts, as he found himself at the center of a huge gambling investigation.

After about three months, however, the Japanese superstar was cleared of any wrongdoing. It was his former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, who was determined by the courts as the guilty party instead.

As the investigation revealed, Ippei Mizuhara siphoned over $17 million from Ohtani's bank account over a period of three years (2021-2024), in order to finance his serious gambling addiction.

Shohei Ohtani (L), Ippei Mizuhara (R) - Source: Getty

Mizuhara eventually pleaded guilty to his crimes in February 2025. He was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, and ordered to pay back the stolen money and an additional amount to the IRS.

Ohtani and the Dodgers have since moved on from the controversy. Nowadays, the organization employ Will Ireton as Ohtani's translator, who accompanies him to all media interactions and press conferences.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Raghav Mehta