Ohtani said he first learned of Mizuhara's gambling issues and alleged theft two days later, when the interpreter spun the same tale while addressing the Dodgers team in the clubhouse after the season opener in Seoul.

Mizuhara apologized, admitted he has a gambling addiction and stated that Ohtani paid what Mizuhara owed. ESPN reported that Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, also told the team Ohtani had helped cover Mizuhara's debts.

Ohtani asserted that everything Mizuhara told the team was new to him.

"During the team meeting, obviously, Ippei was speaking in English and I didn't have a translator on my side," Ohtani said. "But even with that, I kind of understood what was going on and started to feel that there was something amiss. ... Up until that team meeting, I didn't know Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt. Obviously at that point, or, obviously, I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker."

Ohtani and Mizuhara spoke one-on-one shortly thereafter at the team hotel.

"That's when I found out he had a massive debt," Ohtani said. "And it was revealed to me during that meeting that Ippei admitted he was sending money, using my account, to the bookmaker. And at that moment, obviously it was an absurd thing that was happening and I contacted my representatives."

Ohtani said his representatives determined Mizuhara had been "lying the whole time," and that the "Dodgers and the lawyers at that moment found out as well that they'd been lied to."

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara that day.

How was Mizuhara in a position to allegedly mislead everyone?

Ohtani's reliance on Mizuhara to translate everything said to him in English gave the interpreter enormous influence over the two-way star, whom the Dodgers signed to a record $700 million contract during the offseason.

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