TISHA THOMPSON: Economists and betters talk about something called the black swan, an event or a series of events that’s so rare, so unpredictable no one would bet on it happening. March 19, 2024 was my black swan. Because the story we had been working on for five months would suddenly change over the next 24 hours, twisting and turning in ways I could never have expected, and for reasons I’m still trying to understand.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I had seen wire transfers that showed a bank account in Shohei Ohtani’s name had wired millions to an illegal bookmaking operation, and Shohei’s spokesperson confirmed it. But he told me that Shohei wasn’t the one gambling. He says it was his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Shohei was just paying off Ippei’s debts. And now Shohei’s team has offered me an interview with someone they said would clear this all up. All right, I am– this is Trisha Thompson. I am recording this call. Go ahead and tell me who you are, and do I have permission to record you?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: This is– I’m Ippei Mizuhara and you do have permission to record me.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’ve never talked to Ippei before, but I instantly recognized his voice. It’s the voice of Shohei Ohtani. Whenever Shohei talks to reporters in Japanese, it’s Ippei who translates his words into English. I’ve been warned by ESPN’s baseball reporters that Ippei doesn’t say much.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m not sure he’ll give me anything more than a prepared statement, and I don’t know how much time I’ll get with him. But I’ve been investigating this story for five months, and I have a lot of questions about how Shohei and his money got tied up in all of this, what Ippei’s role was.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: And I wonder if what Ippei tells me will hold up to my line of questions. I reach Ippei in South Korea. He’s in Seoul with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are set to play the San Diego Padres in just a few hours. It’s the opening game of the MLB season. All right, Ippei. I– what I would like to do is have you tell me your story in your words.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Oh, okay. Okay.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Shohei Ohtani is about to play his first regular season game in a Dodgers jersey. And he will deliver, he’ll get his first hit, his first steal, his first RBI for the Dodgers. But that will not be the top headline tomorrow, because his interpreter is about to steal the show.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Here’s the pitch to Ohtani.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Shohei Ohtani.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson. From 30 for 30 Podcasts, the is The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani Episode Two: The Interview. I’m the only reporter Ippei ever spoke to about this story. It’s now been more than two years since we had this call, and every time I listen to it I hear it differently.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: When the interview starts, my first goal is to get an understanding of how the bookie at the center of this story, Matt Bowyer, came into the picture. By now I’ve confirmed that Bowyer is under federal investigation, and the wire transfers I saw, the ones with Shohei’s name on them, went to Bowyer’s operation. So what I’m going to do is start at what I think is the beginning. Can you tell me how you met Matt Bowyer?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes. So I met him at a local poker game. He knew I was Shohei’s interpreter, but he kind of approached me saying, like, he’s, like, a fan.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Did he tell you what he did for a living?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: He told me that he has a sports book.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: A sports book is just a place that takes sports bets. It can be a brick and mortar building or an app or a website. Ippei tells me he bet in Las Vegas sports books in the past. And he was betting once in a while on Draft Kings. He says he didn’t realize that Bowyer’s sports book was different, that it was illegal.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I thought it was legal this whole time. And once I found out that there was a federal investigation going on, which was two, three days ago, that’s when I first found out. And I was pretty shocked and scared.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So when you started your account, did you have to give, like, a credit card or put some cash in or anything like that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No. He had a credit line set up for me.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei is telling me that when he logged onto his account with Bowyer there was already credit there for him to use. A legal sports book will never gamblers credit up front, that’s one of the main draws for any legal sports book, no money down. Did that leave a red flag for you?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Unfortunately it didn’t at the time.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. What did you bet on? What were you betting on?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, I bet on– I bet on some football, basketball, and soccer. Not baseball. I never bet on baseball, overseas, domestic, anything. That’s 100%. ‘Cause I knew that– I knew– I knew that rule.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: You did. And that rule being–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: (UNINTEL PHRASE) at the time–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: –which rule? Which rule?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Not to bet on baseball.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Who told you that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: We had, like, a meeting about that in spring training. It was (UNINTEL) don’t bet on baseball ever. But it was okay to bet on other sports other than baseball was my– understanding.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: This tracks with Major League Baseball’s rules on sports betting. Players and team employees can bet on sports, but they may not bet on baseball, and they cannot use a bookie. Did anyone ever tell you that you couldn’t use a bookmaker?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I don’t fully recall.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But Ippei says once he met the bookie he began to rack up millions of dollars in debt. Why– why were you doing this? What was it doing for you?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Oh, okay. Okay, so at the time, and I couldn’t share this with Shohei, but it was hard for me to make, like, my ends meet. I was kind of going paycheck to paycheck. Because I kinda had to keep up with his lifestyle. But at the same time I didn’t want to tell him this.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Obviously it ended up being the worst case scenario, but I didn’t want to go– help– I didn’t want to go to him for help financially and stuff like that. So I was just trying to make ends meet on my side. And (UNINTEL) I was in debt a little bit and stuff with– with my parents and some friends. And the time that I started gambling, Matt (UNINTEL) said he’s gonna give me some credit. I felt like I had a chance to know make some of my money back. And it just got lower into the worst situation.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m wondering if this response might be rehearsed. It feels like a clean answer that just came pouring out of Ippei in one go. Before this, the most we had ever heard him speak was when he interpreted Shohei’s words. He rarely ever spoke about himself. I’m curious, you were talking about how, you know, you couldn’t keep up with Shohei’s lifestyle. And you didn’t tell him that, but you– you couldn’t do it. How much do you make each year?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: At the time I was making about $85,000 a year.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: This is 2021-ish.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Did you start to make more than that over the next couple months or years?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, now with the Dodgers I am making more money. And then last year with the Angels they gave me a pretty big raise.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. I have been told you make roughly $300,000.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Is this gonna go out on the story?

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I had someone tell me it’s $300,000. If that is incorrect I wanna know.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Okay. Well– my new deal with the Dodgers is a little bit more than that.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Is it more than $500,000?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Back in 2021 with his $85,000 a year salary, Ippei says it was tough to make ends meet. So when Bowyer’s sports book offered him credit, he says it seemed like a chance to make some money. So did it go back quickly or did you win some money?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I never cashed out. I– I’m terrible. I’m never– I’m never gonna do it ever again. I never won any money from them.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Really?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: And I just kept on losing, and I just kept on digging a deeper hole and I just couldn’t get out of it.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Did you tell anyone?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No, I did not.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Why?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Mainly it was just embarrassing, and I didn’t– I mean, my wife doesn’t even know about any of this until even right now.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: She’s with us in Korea right now, and she’s, like, having a great time with, like, her family. And my heart’s (UNINTEL) ripping apart every minute. Like, and she– she knows that I’m, like, weird, acting weird. And, like, I just can’t, like, tell her right now. It’s just gonna ruin the whole trip. And–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei pauses, and another voice jumps into the conversation. His name is Matt Hiltzik. He’s Shohei Ohtani’s spokesperson, and he’s been listening in on this call the whole time. When he speaks up here, he tells Ippei, “We’re all here for you.” And, “We’re all going to help you.”

 

TISHA THOMPSON: He says, “We care about you as a person.” As he continues to reassure Ippei, I wonder if he is talking to Ippei, or if this speech is actually meant for me. Because this spokesperson was hired to protect Shohei and Shohei’s reputation. He doesn’t represent Ippei or Ippei’s interests. He tells Ippei, “We just want the truth.” When he stops talking, I take my cue to continue. How much do you estimate you lost overall with– Bowyer’s operation?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: That’s– one thing that I would like to– to disclose (?) if possible– and it’s really embarrassing if the amount gets out. And if possible I would like to keep it disclosed.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I had seen the wires showing that Shohei Ohtani’s bank account had sent money to the bookie’s operation. Multiple sources have told me at least $4.5 million left Shohei’s account. But I’ve heard it could be a lot more, maybe as much as $16 million. I have sourcing that says that Bowyer’s operation was paid at least $4.5 million. What is your response to that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I would say that it’s– pretty accurate.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Is it more than that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I don’t think so.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. For people who have never been in this place, how do you get to $4.5 million? Is it because you keep hoping, for instance, that the next bet is going to bail you out? Or I– I– you know, for someone who doesn’t know what it’s like, how do you get to $4.5 million?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: (UNINTEL) I just– I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger. And it’s like I had to bet bigger to get out of it. And just kept on losing and it was like a snowball effect.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: How did you start paying him back?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: So that’s when I had to go to Shohei for help.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei is about to explain why the money was coming from Shohei’s bank account, even though Ippei is the one gambling. By 2023, Ippei had racked up millions of dollars in debt. And to pay off those debts he says he goes to Shohei. How did that go down?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, I explained my situation, what’s going on and why I’m in this much of a debt. And obviously– he wasn’t happy about it, but he said he would help me out, make sure, like, I never do this again. And that– that’s pretty much what happened. And he decided to pay it off for me.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Did he offer or did you ask?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I asked.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: How do you ask someone– I mean, I– it’s been characterized to me that the two of you are best friends, that you were as close as brothers. You know, like, how would you characterize your relationship with him?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: (UNINTEL) best friends, I mean, we are like brothers. I mean, we throw with each other every day, I spend more time with him than my wife, probably. (LAUGH)

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Yeah. (LAUGH)

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yeah. So I mean, he is like a family to me.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Yeah. Ippei and Shohei were always around each other. There seemed to be a genuine closeness between them. Tim saw it, others did too. And now Ippei says they really are that close. Was it hard to come to him, or was it easy because you are so close–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Oh, extremely hard. I didn’t want, like, that was the last thing I wanted to– for me– I mean, initially I didn’t wanna go to him about making my ends meet, and this was on another level. So it was really, really difficult.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Were you frightened?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: In that moment when you went to him, what were you afraid of?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Afraid that. I mean, a lotta things. I mean– I mean, the trust that we built up, you know, afraid that might go away. I mean, he might think of me differently, (UNINTEL).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Were you afraid for your safety or anything like that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Safety?

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I mean, yeah, I was. But that was because I was in that much debt. I didn’t know what was– if someone was gonna, like, come to my house one day and (UNINTEL). I had those kind of thoughts too.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m intrigued by Ippei’s response. His initial fear is what his debt will do to his relationship with Shohei, but when I bring up his safety, he says yes, he was afraid. But he’s told me he thought this was a legal sports book, so why would he be afraid?

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Legal sports books don’t come knocking at your door to collect their debts. So I– I would like to get into the specifics of what Shohei offered you when you told him you were in trouble. You said you asked him for help. I mean, did you ask him for money?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I asked him if he could pay my debt off. He had to give it some thought.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Had he ever gambled himself, as far as you’re aware–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: He never has gambled, ever. I can guarantee, I’d put my life on the line that he’s never placed any sports bets ever in this life.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei says Shohei would even talk about how much he disliked gambling.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: He thinks gambling (LAUGH) is terrible, and obviously he doesn’t need the money.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: How do you know he thinks gambling is terrible?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: ‘Cause he sees the, like, people like– like, seem to be gambling all the time. And– and he’ll be like, “Why– why are they doing this, the gambling (UNINTEL).”

 

TISHA THOMPSON: When he would make comments like that, how would you feel internally?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Terrible.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Yeah. So that makes it even harder to go to him, I would imagine.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yeah. Yeah, it was very hard to go to him.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: And you said he went to go think about it. So what does he come back to you with? Like, walk me through that conversation.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I mean, for– for the– the next time I see him, he says, “All right, I’m just gonna pay your (UNINTEL) from here and make sure, like, you don’t ever get into this shit again.” I mean, that– that was basically it. He– it was pretty, like, short and simple.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Did you discuss how to pay it off?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yeah. He asked me, I mean, how like, “What do I need to do?” And I got him the wire information for– his (UNINTEL) account.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: And did you reach out to Bowyer to get it?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yeah.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m getting really granular here because I wanna know exactly, step by step, what the process was that led to those wire transfers. If what Ippei’s saying is true, what role did Shohei play in sending money to an illegal bookie? Did you send him a text message? Was it an email? Did he send it to you? Did you– like, how does this work?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Oh, he text– he texted me his– wire info.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So you– you turn around and– and say to Shohei, “Here’s the wire transfer information”?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So you show it to him on your phone? Do you text it to him? Do you do it for him? Like, how do– how does that go?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I did it on his behalf– supervision.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So do you have access to his bank accounts?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No, I don’t.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. So when you say you did it on his behalf–

 

(IPPEI MIZUHARA: Unintel)

 

TISHA THOMPSON: –explain to me how that works.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: He was with me. I was with him on his– laptop– computer. And it’s– you can l– login to online banking and send a wire.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei says Shohei knew about the wires he says that they sent them together. My adrenaline is pumping. If that’s true, he’s just put Shohei’s fingerprints on the transaction. It wasn’t just that the money was coming from Shohei’s account, Ippei says Shohei was involved.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: By telling me this, by admitting this, he’s directly implicating Shohei in sending millions to an illegal bookmaking operation that’s under investigation for money laundering. I’m wondering, does Ippei realize what he just said? When an investigative reporter reaches out about a story that connects a celebrity to potential scandal, it usually kicks off a careful PR response.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But here is Ippei, possibly implicating Shohei in something that could jeopardize his career. Was this the plan? Is he going off script? Has my line of questioning forced him to reveal something he didn’t mean to? Because the spokesperson doesn’t intervene. So I keep going. What was his understanding of who Bowyer was? Did he know that Matt was a bookie?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I don’t think he has any clue who he was or what he did. I just told him that this was the guy that I needed him to wire to pay off the debt.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: He didn’t say, “Have you done anything illegal,” or anything like that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No. I don’t think he questioned me about that.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: One of the things that we know about the transfers is that it says “loan” on them. And I’m curious why it says “loan”.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, you had to add a description to the wire. I think– I think Matt might have told me to just put “loan” or– you had to put something there.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: If you wire a real loan to someone, you don’t pay income taxes on it. But if you lie about it and it’s not actually a loan, you’re potentially committing tax fraud. I would be interested in seeing any kind of text messages or communications from Matt.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I deleted every text I have of Matt’s.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Up until this point I’ve let Ippei tell me his story in his words. I haven’t really pushed back on what he says for a reason. I wanted to see where he would go with it. But now I need to challenge some of what he’s told me. So I– and forgive me for this, Ippei. This is a lotta money. You tell him you’re in trouble. You know it’s for gambling.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: You really didn’t sit there and think about whether this was legal or not?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Me, myself?

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Yeah.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I never– that never really crossed my mind ever, that this was, like, illegal at all until a couple days ago when I found out that there was an investigation going on.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. Did you think at any point by asking Shohei to pay your debt that he would potentially be committing– he would be putting himself, frankly, in the situation we’re in right now, where there would be questions about legality?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I don’t think either– either of us did think about that at the time– at all.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Do you have the kind of relationship where he does things without questioning it? The spokesperson jumps in here. He says to Ippei, “He wasn’t happy with you, right?”

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No. Yeah, he was definitely not happy.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei tells me Bowyer wanted the money in a lump sum but they could only send the wires in $500,000 installments. He says he and Shohei sent about eight or nine payments over the course of several months in 2023. That matches what my sources have told me. After you tell him about your situation and he begins to make these payments on your behalf, did it, or how did it change your relationship with him?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Honestly, to be– to be honest– in the beginning I felt really uncomfortable with how to, like, see him. But (UNINTEL) I mean, he’s a great guy. And he just– it was– he went on just like– like nothing ever happened.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Shohei going on with his life in 2023 equated to hitting 44 home runs and earning the MVP award in the American League. And now Ippei is telling me that all that time he and Shohei found the time to sit down together and secretly wire millions of dollars to Bowyer’s operation.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I felt like– I feel like after a few weeks, a month our relationship got back to where it was before. I mean, for me– I felt really uncomfortable for the first, like, few weeks. And then I felt really guilty and felt terrible. But, I mean, he kinda helped that go away.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But he had to keep making these payments.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So did you have to keep having this conversation?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I– well, he knew the whole amount, and he knew that we had to make several payments, because you can’t send more than $500,000 at a time. So it was only–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: –it wasn’t like I asked him every week, “Oh, sorry, this came up again.” It wasn’t like that.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: How was it?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I told– like, in the beginning when I told him, like, “This is how much I’m in debt,” you know, it was the whole amount. But he knew that he had to pay that whole amount off for me, and it’s gonna be in increments.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So did you go to him and remind him? Would he just do it of his own volition?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No, I would– do it with him every time.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: And it just became normal, it wasn’t awkward like it was in the beginning. Is that what you’re saying?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes. For me, I mean, it was– it felt bad every time we did a wire. But yeah.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But he didn’t make a big deal out of it.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Yeah. How did you feel about that? Explain to me what– how that made you feel.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I mean, very appreciative, obviously, but at the same time I felt really, really, like, a super guilt trip. Like, really guilty and terrible. And, I mean, ever since that day, like, I– I– it’s always on the back of my mind. It’s haunting me every day. I always think about it. Like, it’s always there in my head. And I don’t know actually if it’ll ever go away.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Did you offer to ever pay him back? Or was this, you know, “I’m gonna pay this and we’re cool,” or did you say–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: –“Let me try to pay some of this back.”

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No, I’m gonna pay him back. I told him I’m gonna pay him back. It might take a while, but (SIGH) I told him even– even if he says no or anything, I’m gonna make all the effort to pay him back.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: What’s really important to me is that I understand correctly about why Shohei would pay an illegal bookmaker directly from his bank account and call it a loan rather than just giving on to you, Ippei, to pay off your debts.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: So, I mean, we didn’t know that this was illegal, first of all. I think that’s very important. And he didn’t want to– to give the money to me, and he didn’t want me to try to gamble it off again. So he wanted to make sure it’s going back to the debt.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Like my source had predicted, Ippei is taking the blame. He says he was the gambler and he asked Shohei to pay off his debts. But there’s a critical question that I’ve been building to here, which is simply, “Why should I believe you, Ippei?” One of the things that’s been said to me is that Ohtani owes Bowyer money. And I wanna understand why it would be characterized that way to me.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I would have no idea why that was– anyone would say that.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: His name is on the bank statement. His name is on the wires.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I mean, there’s gonna be– there’s gonna be people wondering, “Is it Ohtani who did it and you’re taking the fall for him?”

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So I wanna give you a chance to respond to that. The spokesperson jumps in before Ippei can say anything. He tells me, “Ippei has already answered the question, that he spent the last hour sharing his story. But I push back. No, I know, but I wanna give Ippei a chance to respond to that criticism.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: You know, I’m anticipating, “Oh, he’s just taking a fall for Ohtani.” So what would you say to someone who would accuse you of that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Shohei (LAUGH) never, ever met Matt Bowyer, never talked to him. So there would be no way that Shohei could’ve, I mean, been doing this on his own or anything. And it was all me. And that’s the 100% truth. And all Shohei did was pay it off for me. And– and there’s, like, not much more than that–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Okay. And was there any kind of conversation between the two of you that, like, his name is now gonna be on these wire transfers. He’s now connect– you see where I’m getting? Like, he’s connected to this now. His name, you know, whether it’s legal or not, his name is now connected to someone that you owe money to. And he’s gonna get pulled into this now. Was there– was there really no conversation, like, “Oh, now your name’s attached to this”?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: There really wasn’t, because like I said earlier, we thought– we didn’t know this was illegal. I thought it was 100% legal. And we didn’t really think about anything– with troubles with his name being involved in this. But obviously if I knew that this was illegal then I would never put Shohei’s name into any of this.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: This is when the spokesperson interjects again, this time telling me, “There’s no cover up.” I never said the word cover up. But the spokesperson doubles down, saying, “If people say this is just a cover up, it’s the worst cover up in history.” Like, you’re denying there’s any kind of cover up here.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: There’s absolutely no cover up at all.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: What was your gut level, fundamental reaction when you learned that Matt was under investigation?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I was– scared more than anything. I still am at this moment. But, I mean, it was– that’s about it.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: What are you scared about at this moment?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, when this– when this story goes out the reactions to the story. Because– I’m afraid–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: You’re– that’s what– you’re afraid of the media, not necessarily the federal investigators or something like that?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Well, I’m not too sure what’s going on with, like, the whole federal investigation thing. I just know that there’s an investigation. I don’t know any more details.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Has anyone reached out to you from the federal government–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No. No, never.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Has anyone reached out to Shohei about these–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: –bank transfers, from the federal government?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: No, not that I’m aware of. And he would tell me if someone did.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: We’ve now been talking for about 80 minutes, and the spokesperson is interrupting more and more. I can feel that my time is running out, and I’m worried he’s going to try to end the interview. I’m getting very close to the end guys, ’cause I know you’re watching the clock. Is there an (UNINTEL)–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I can– I can– oh sorry, I can–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Oh, yeah–

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I have time tomorrow to talk, or tonight after the game.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei thinks we’re gonna have the chance to talk again. He and I seem to have a very different understanding of the gravity of what he’s told me. I think he’s going to be fired. He may be in even more trouble, I don’t know. Either way I don’t think they’re ever going to let me talk to him again. What have I not asked you that you think is really important that people understand, that you want folks to know?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: I– obviously I want everyone to know that Shohei had zero involvement in the betting. I want to make that clear. And I want people to know that I did not know this was illegal. And obviously I learned my lesson in a very hard way, and– and I take it to the heart– I take it to my heart. And I will never, ever do sports betting ever again.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: You’ll never do sports betting.

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Are you prepared to face the consequences if baseball, and when I say baseball I mean the Dodgers and Major League Baseball, decides to take action?

 

IPPEI MIZUHARA: Yes. I’m fully prepared to face any and all consequences.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: After I hang up with Ippei, I begin to type out my story. Ippei Mizuhara says he lost millions of dollars in bets with an illegal bookmaker, and his best friend, Shohei Ohtani, someone he says he is closer to than a brother, offered to pay off his debts. At least, that’s what the article was going to say. A few hours after I get off the phone with Ippei, the opening day game of the 2024 MLB season gets underway.

 

ANNOUNCER: Now please welcome to the field, the staff, coaches, and reserves from the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: The Dodgers versus the Padres. The two American teams are at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: A little morning baseball back in the United States, evening here in Seoul.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I’m watching the game on my laptop while I work on my story. All eyes are on Shohei.

 

ANNOUNCER: Batting second, the designated hitter, number 17, Shohei Ohtani.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But at this moment I don’t really care about what’s happening on the field. I’m waiting for the cameras to cut away to the dugout. Waiting, watching, for Ippei. What does he look like? Is he tired? Because I’m exhausted. I never went to bed and it’s now 6:00 in the morning on the East Coast. Will he look stressed? Will Shohei be able to look him in the eye? Because Ippei’s made a mess, and now Shohei and his people are gonna have to clean it up.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: And here is Shohei Ohtani, for the first time in a Los Angeles Dodger uniform–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei has just confessed to an ESPN reporter that he racked up millions of dollars of debt betting on sports, and that he and Shohei sent money to an illegal bookmaking operation. In just a couple of hours we’re planning to publish my article that will reveal both of these things to the world.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: But instead of looking like two men who are in trouble, and whose relationship I would think would be under considerable stress, they’re laughing. Standing next to each other in the dugout, watching the game, Shohei and Ippei are laughing together. Very little surprises me these days, but that, the two of them laughing, I was stunned.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: They get a rally late and the Dodgers win game one of this 2024 season–

 

TISHA THOMPSON: The Dodgers beat the Padres five to two. As the team walks off the field into the locker room, we’re in the final stages of putting our story together. But less than 15 minutes before we’re set to publish, I get a call from Shohei’s spokesperson, Matt Hiltzik.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: When I pick up, he shouts into the phone, “Ippei lied.” Matt Hiltzik is freaking out in a way I’ve never before experienced in my career. He’s frantic, telling me that Shohei just now learned about the transfers from his account, just now in the locker room.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: He says Shohei had no idea Ippei was using his money to pay off the debts, and that the whole thing was a lie. He says he’s still trying to figure out what happened, and hangs up. Not long after I get a statement from Ohtani’s lawyers. It says, “In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I call Ippei. I don’t record it, everything is moving too fast. I read him the statement and he confirms it, but won’t say anything more. “Ippei,” I say, “Did you lie to me last night in some of your statements?” “Yes.” I’m worried he’ll hang up, and I need clear answers.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So I jump into a set of yes or no questions. “Did Shohei transfer funds to the bookmaking operation?” “No.” “Did Shohei know the funds were being transferred?” “No.” “Did you tell Shohei about the gambling debts and wiring the money?” “No.”

 

TISHA THOMPSON: “Did you offer to pay him back?” “Yes.” “When?” “As soon as I can.” I asked, “Today or in the past?” Ippei says, “I told him today and the past.” I’d been told by Shohei’s team that only learned just now that Ippei took his money, but Ippei’s saying he had offered to pay it back in the past.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: So I start to ask him, “When did Shohei learn his money was missing?” But Ippei interrupts me. “They told me I can’t answer anything.” “Who is they?” He doesn’t answer. “Is it Ohtani’s people?” He doesn’t answer. I ask him if he’s being paid or getting any kind of deal to say this.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: He says no, he’s doing it of his own free will. “Are you employed with the Dodgers?” He tells me he’s not sure. Then I ask, “Did you lie to Shohei?” Ippei says, “Yes.” Throughout the call I can hear a voice talking, I think to him. I can’t tell if it’s a man or a woman.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: I don’t know if it was his wife, Shohei’s agent, or someone else. When I ask, “Are you being accused of stealing or embezzling from Shohei?” Ippei interrupts, “I was also told I can’t comment on that part.” I ask, “Have you told your family?”

 

TISHA THOMPSON: He says, “I don’t wanna talk about my family.” We hang up. I call my editors. As we drop these new quotes into the story I text Ippei with one final question. “Did you take the money from Shohei’s accounts without his knowledge?” Ippei never responds.

 

MALE VOICE: The Dodgers have fired the interpreter for Shohei Ohtani.

 

MALE VOICE: Mizuhara allegedly placed wagers with an illegal sports book in California.

 

MALE VOICE: Accused of racking up millions of dollars in illegal gambling debts.

 

MALE VOICE: And claims Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts or transfers.

 

MALE VOICE: It’s certainly not the good look now that Ohtani would like.

 

MALE VOICE: The scandal now rocking the sport.

 

MALE VOICE: So how in the world does someone just transfer $4.5 million of his money and he has no idea of it?

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Why did the story change so drastically? My sources first told me Shohei’s bank account was sending money to a bookie. But then Ippei said he was the one gambling. Shohei was just helping him pay his debts. And now it’s changed again. It was all Ippei.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: Ippei placed the bets and somehow accessed Shohei’s bank account to pay off the bookie. And Shohei knew nothing about it. Who really is Ippei? Ippei says he and Shohei were closer than brothers, always together. And so in this moment, people were asking, “Is it really possible that Shohei didn’t know what was going on?”

 

MALE VOICE: You know where your money’s at? I know where my money’s at, and that’s all I can say.

 

FEMALE VOICE: Either Shohei was betrayed by his best friend or he threw his best friend under the bus.

 

TISHA THOMPSON: This season on The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani.

 

MALE VOICE: Everyone wants every little bit of Shohei Ohtani, and Ippei was part of him. Part of the Shohei Ohtani deal was Ippei.

 

MALE VOICE: I was shocked to see this person bet over 19,000 sports events. I mean, even if I wanted to I couldn’t do that many bets.

 

MALE VOICE: I was pissed. It was definitely a manipulation from the get go.

 

MALE VOICE: It painted a really shocking picture of one person abusing the trust of another person.

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Ohtani on the run. Ball one down, and Ohtani has another stolen base.