Latest news with #IppeiMizuhara
CNN
03-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Cleveland Guardians Luis Ortiz pitcher placed on leave hours before his start as MLB reportedly investigating gambling
Major League Baseball placed Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on indefinite leave on Thursday, with multiple reports indicating he is facing a gambling-related investigation. MLB said in a statement that Ortiz was being put on 'non-disciplinary leave through the end of the All-Star break' for the investigation. The announcement came just hours before Ortiz was supposed to take the mound as the Guardians starting pitcher for their game against the Chicago Cubs. In a team statement, the Guardians said they had 'been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process.' Sources later told The Athletic and ESPN that the probe is related to gambling. MLB declined to comment on the reports. CNN has reached out to the Guardians for comment. MLB has had to navigate turbulent waters over gambling in recent years. The sport was rocked by the high-profile scandal involving megastar Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was sentenced to more than four years in prison earlier this year following revelations at the beginning of the 2024 season that he had stolen nearly $17 million from Ohtani to fuel a gambling addiction. Ohtani, the Japanese two-way player who is breaking new ground in the league, denied ever taking part in any gambling activities. Later in the 2024 season, the league banned San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano for life after MLB determined he had been gambling on baseball. According to the investigation, Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related ones, over two periods in 2022 and 2023 while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and while he was on the injured list. He gambled more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that on MLB-related bets. The MLB investigation found that 25 of those bets included Pirates games while Marcano was assigned to the Major League club. The MLB probe found that 'almost all of Marcano's Pirates bets were on which club (the Pirates or their opponent) would win the game or whether there would be more or less than a certain number of runs scored in the game.' Earlier this year, the league fired Pat Hoberg – one of the sport's up-and-coming young umpires – for sharing gambling accounts with a friend who had bet on baseball. The league found no evidence that Hoberg himself had bet on baseball, but the report stated that messages regarding the MLB's investigation had been deleted and that the league found dismissal to be warranted.
CNN
03-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Cleveland Guardians Luis Ortiz pitcher placed on leave hours before his start as MLB reportedly investigating gambling
Major League Baseball placed Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on indefinite leave on Thursday, with multiple reports indicating he is facing a gambling-related investigation. MLB said in a statement that Ortiz was being put on 'non-disciplinary leave through the end of the All-Star break' for the investigation. The announcement came just hours before Ortiz was supposed to take the mound as the Guardians starting pitcher for their game against the Chicago Cubs. In a team statement, the Guardians said they had 'been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process.' Sources later told The Athletic and ESPN that the probe is related to gambling. MLB declined to comment on the reports. CNN has reached out to the Guardians for comment. MLB has had to navigate turbulent waters over gambling in recent years. The sport was rocked by the high-profile scandal involving megastar Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was sentenced to more than four years in prison earlier this year following revelations at the beginning of the 2024 season that he had stolen nearly $17 million from Ohtani to fuel a gambling addiction. Ohtani, the Japanese two-way player who is breaking new ground in the league, denied ever taking part in any gambling activities. Later in the 2024 season, the league banned San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano for life after MLB determined he had been gambling on baseball. According to the investigation, Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related ones, over two periods in 2022 and 2023 while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and while he was on the injured list. He gambled more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that on MLB-related bets. The MLB investigation found that 25 of those bets included Pirates games while Marcano was assigned to the Major League club. The MLB probe found that 'almost all of Marcano's Pirates bets were on which club (the Pirates or their opponent) would win the game or whether there would be more or less than a certain number of runs scored in the game.' Earlier this year, the league fired Pat Hoberg – one of the sport's up-and-coming young umpires – for sharing gambling accounts with a friend who had bet on baseball. The league found no evidence that Hoberg himself had bet on baseball, but the report stated that messages regarding the MLB's investigation had been deleted and that the league found dismissal to be warranted.
CNN
03-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Cleveland Guardians Luis Ortiz pitcher placed on leave hours before his start as MLB reportedly investigating gambling
Major League Baseball placed Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on indefinite leave on Thursday, with multiple reports indicating he is facing a gambling-related investigation. MLB said in a statement that Ortiz was being put on 'non-disciplinary leave through the end of the All-Star break' for the investigation. The announcement came just hours before Ortiz was supposed to take the mound as the Guardians starting pitcher for their game against the Chicago Cubs. In a team statement, the Guardians said they had 'been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process.' Sources later told The Athletic and ESPN that the probe is related to gambling. MLB declined to comment on the reports. CNN has reached out to the Guardians for comment. MLB has had to navigate turbulent waters over gambling in recent years. The sport was rocked by the high-profile scandal involving megastar Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was sentenced to more than four years in prison earlier this year following revelations at the beginning of the 2024 season that he had stolen nearly $17 million from Ohtani to fuel a gambling addiction. Ohtani, the Japanese two-way player who is breaking new ground in the league, denied ever taking part in any gambling activities. Later in the 2024 season, the league banned San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano for life after MLB determined he had been gambling on baseball. According to the investigation, Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related ones, over two periods in 2022 and 2023 while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and while he was on the injured list. He gambled more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that on MLB-related bets. The MLB investigation found that 25 of those bets included Pirates games while Marcano was assigned to the Major League club. The MLB probe found that 'almost all of Marcano's Pirates bets were on which club (the Pirates or their opponent) would win the game or whether there would be more or less than a certain number of runs scored in the game.' Earlier this year, the league fired Pat Hoberg – one of the sport's up-and-coming young umpires – for sharing gambling accounts with a friend who had bet on baseball. The league found no evidence that Hoberg himself had bet on baseball, but the report stated that messages regarding the MLB's investigation had been deleted and that the league found dismissal to be warranted.
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter, reports to federal prison in Pennsylvania
The former Japanese interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani surrendered to a federal prison in Pennsylvania on Monday, beginning a nearly five-year prison sentence for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player. Ippei Mizuhara, 40, was processed at a low security federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, his attorney Michael Freedman confirmed. The facility is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. Mizuhara was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana in February to four years and nine months for bank and tax fraud. He was also ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was sentenced to three years' supervised release on top of the prison sentence. Authorities said Mizuhara began accessing Ohtani's account beginning in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate Ohtani to authorize wire transfers. He has admitted to using the money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to purchasing $325,000 worth of baseball cards and paying his own dental bills. He was a close friend and confidant to Ohtani, standing by his side for many of his career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani made his highly anticipated pitching debut Monday night for the Dodgers nearly two years after having elbow surgery.
Tokyo Weekender
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Tokyo Weekender
Mixed Bag for Shohei Ohtani on Pitching Return
After almost two years away from the mound, Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited pitching return on Monday evening to start the series opener against the Padres. Jogging out with Michael Bublé's 'Feeling Good' playing in the background, he received a huge ovation from the fans. His last MLB appearance on the mound was on August 22, 2023, against the Cincinnati Reds, when he retired due to arm fatigue after just 1.1 innings pitched. List of Contents: Ohtani Allows One Run on Pitching Return Ippei Mizuhara Reports to US Prison Related Posts Ohtani Allows One Run on Pitching Return The two-way superstar allowed back-to-back singles to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arráez before Manny Machado hit a sacrifice fly to earn Tatis Jr. a run. Prior to that, he probably should have had a strikeout on Machado, who was ruled to have checked his swing on Ohtani's 1-2 sweeper. Ohtani threw 28 pitches — 16 for strikes — hitting 100.2 mph with his fourth seamer. He averaged 96.8 mph on nine fastballs. In the second inning, he was replaced by Anthony Banda. Rather than entering the dugout, Ohtani put on his batting gloves near the railing and walked to the on-deck circle to get ready to lead off the bottom of the inning. He struck out against Padres starter Dylan Cease. Ohtani is the first National League player to start a game as a pitcher and also bat in the leadoff spot since Alvin Dark of the New York Giants in 1953. In the third inning, Ohtani tied the score with an RBI double to left-center. He added another two-out hit as the Dodgers took a 6-2 lead in the fourth. Machado hit a leadoff homer in the sixth to reduce the deficit. There was no more scoring after that, though, as the National League West leaders won the game 6-3. Ippei Mizuhara Reports to US Prison On the same day that Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers, his former interpreter reported to federal prison in Pennsylvania. In February, Ippei Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing close to $17 million from the Dodgers two-way global superstar to repay illegal gambling debts. He was also ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, with the majority going to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Mizuhara is being held in a low-security prison in Allenwood. As he's not a US citizen, he's likely to be deported to Japan after completing his sentence. Between November 2021 and March 2024, the ex-interpreter misappropriated $16.59 million from one of Ohtani's accounts. He also stole baseball cards with the intention of reselling them and submitted a false tax return for 2022. Prosecutors claimed his motivation was 'greed' and 'not addiction.' Related Posts Shohei Ohtani Denies Any Involvement in Gambling Scandal Shohei Ohtani's Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Fired After 'Massive Theft' Claim Ohtani Produces One of the Greatest Ever Individual MLB Performances
