MLB announced Friday it has opened an investigation into the Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal that rocked baseball this week.
The story broke Wednesday when Ohtani's attorney released a statement accusing his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara of "massive theft." A subsequent ESPN report revealed that Ohtani's camp had told the outlet the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar had agreed to pay off $4.5 million in gambling debts for Mizuhara, only for that camp to disavow Mizuhara on Wednesday.
Mizuhara had given a 90-minute interview to ESPN detailing how Ohtani supposedly paid off the gambling debt, which is a federal crime as well as a potential violation of MLB rules.