• Shohei Ohtani's 'perfect person' image could take a hit in Japan with firing of interpreter

    Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” - the perfect person - because of his manners and impeccable behavior. That image may have taken a hit when the Dodgers fired his good friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Wednesday.

  • $510 Dodgers jerseys, $150 caps. Here's the cost of being a Shohei Ohtani fan in Japan

    Los Angeles Dodgers blue is in style in Japan as the popularity Shohei Ohtani continues to soar. Here's how much fans are paying for caps, jerseys and more.

  • Hernández: Baseball diplomacy: How Shohei Ohtani bridges the Japan-South Korea divide

    The day after the Dodgers deplaned at Incheon Airport, pictures of Shohei Ohtani and his wife were on the pages of every major newspaper in this country. Not just any pages. The front pages. On the evening news, segments on Ohtani were aired before those featuring the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers’ opening-day opponents. The Padres have a couple of Korean players in shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and right-hander Woo-Suk Go. Ohtani is almost as popular here as he is in his home country. “Right now,”...

  • Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal: Major holes poked in Ippei Mizuhara's pre-Ohtani résumé

    Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers earlier this week.

  • Everything we know about Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter

    Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finds himself in the center of controversy after

  • Shohei Ohtani to address media on Monday

    Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will address the media on Monday, marking his first public comments since Major League Baseball announced Friday it would be investigating the gambling scandal surrounding Ohtani and former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. It’s unknown what time Ohtani will address the media, as the Dodgers aren’t scheduled to play until

  • Shohei Ohtani Is An Icon Among Us

    The new Dodgers star has already changed baseball in so many ways. All he

  • Shohei Ohtani is a Dodger. Here comes the storm

    I was not alive during Beatlemania. Nor was I old enough or even alive to understand or experience Fernandomania. And yet, even with the Forrest Gumpian aspects of my life, the dawning of a revelation is upon us all: something big is happening, something we cannot fully see around or see the impact of something unfolding before our very eyes. The 2024 Dodgers are making their regular season debut on the world stage. And at the center of the storm is the Dodgers’ $700 million man: Shohei Ohtani....

  • Plaschke: Do you still believe in Shohei Ohtani? I'm not sure

    It still doesn’t feel right. It still doesn’t make sense. No matter how much Shohei Ohtani and his advisors attempt to clean it up, something in all this gambling garbage still stinks. When a smiling Ohtani strides on to the Dodger Stadium field for their home opener Thursday, I want to believe. I want to believe the game’s greatest player is as pure as his image. I want to believe the beloved global superstar is as honorable as he seems. I want to believe the legendary Ohtani magic, for which...

  • How the saga of Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter unfolded — and why it’s not over

    The tip arrived two weeks ago, and it threatened to engulf Major League Baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, in scandal. The name of the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher had surfaced in a federal investigation of illegal sports gambling — millions of dollars in payments were allegedly made from his bank account to an illicit bookmaker. As The Times investigated the tip and began to assemble a story, Ohtani’s representatives scrambled behind the scenes to head it off. The result was a...

  • Shohei Ohtani responds to theft allegations against his interpreter

    Facing a packed room of reporters, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani gave prepared remarks Monday in an attempt to shed light on the accusations that his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, engaged in a "massive theft" of the ballplayer's funds to place bets with an illegal bookmaker, saying he was "saddened and shocked" by the revelations. "I never bet on baseball or any other sports and have never asked someone to do so on my behalf and have never bet through a bookmaker," Ohtani said through...

    • Yahoo

    Shohei Ohtani's interpreter fired over theft allegations

    STORY: The LA Dodgers have fired the interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, one of the biggest names in baseball.News outlets said Wedneday the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, faces allegations of "massive theft" from the player to pay off gambling debts.Sports network ESPN said at least $4.5 million was transferred from Ohtani's account to a gambling operation in Southern California.While the LA Times, citing Ohtani's attorneys, said Mizuhara used the star player's funds to pay off an alleged illegal...