Shohei Ohtani’s Story On Ex-Interpreter Gambling Scandal Is Not Believable | Lexie Rigden

The butterfly effect is a scientific theory that unrelated and seemingly trivial events can have large and far-reaching consequences-- a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas.

Once upon a time, a man named Matthew Bowyer, allegedly an illegal bookmaker, met MLB interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

Bowyer’s illegal gambling operation eventually caught the attention of authorities.

Bowyer’s house was raided. An investigation ensued.

After the discovery of LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s name on some bank statements, he became embroiled in what may become the biggest MLB gambling scandal since Pete Rose was banned from baseball.

RELATED: Shohei Ohtani Still Claims He's Innocent In Limited Press Conference On Betting, Interpreter Scandal

Through his lawyer, Bowyer denied ever meeting Ohtani.

Just days ago, Ohtani was most famous for being a two-way player with a $700 million contract. Now, he’s the center of this gambling whodunit thanks to his former interpreter’s dealings with Bowyer, a man he’s allegedly never even met.

How Did This Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Saga Start?

Just days ago, Mizuhara was most famous as the right-hand man of arguably the best baseball player in the game. Now, he’s the world’s most notorious ex-interpreter, thanks to a random criminal investigation of Bowyer, which had nothing to do with Ohtani.

Pretty random, huh?

When the gambling scandal broke, Mizuhara gave his first version of events—claiming the $4.5 million wired to Bowyer’s operation from Ohtani’s accounts was simply his rich friend—his "brother"—helping cover Mizuhara’s substantial gambling debt which amounted to approximately 10 times his yearly Dodger’s salary.  

He denied ever betting on baseball.

In a bombshell response, Ohtani claimed he had been the victim of "massive theft", i.e. he had not covered Mizuhara’s debts—at least not knowingly.

Mizuhara then did a 180, claiming, without further explanation, that Ohtani knew nothing about his gambling.

It seems the earlier versions of the story may have been, well, lost in translation.

On March 25, Ohtani once again reiterated that he knew nothing of Mizuhara’s debts, did not willingly cover them, and most importantly, did not gamble, directly or indirectly.

MLB rules prohibit players and employees from betting on baseball. Period. They can’t even bet on a high school game.

Can Ippei Mizuhara Be Trusted?

But even if Mizuhara did abstain from betting on baseball, he still broke another cardinal MLB rule: betting with bookies. Players and employees are forbidden from illegal betting on any sport.

Even though Mizuhara denies betting on baseball, why should we believe him? Why should we believe that was the one MLB gambling rule he wouldn’t break?

Mizuhara’s version of events simply cannot be trusted. His directly contradicting stories prove he is a liar: he either lied that Ohtani covered the debts voluntarily, or he lied that Ohtani knew nothing about the debts. Either way, Mizuhara’s credibility (and any prospect of future employability in the MLB) has been destroyed.

RELATED: Is The Shohei Ohtani Gambling Story Believable? An Insider Perspective

But that’s not all. The consequences could be worse for Ohtani if he isn’t telling the truth.

To believe Ohtani’s vehement and unambiguous denials of any involvement with, or knowledge of, Mizuhara’s gambling debt, you must believe that Mizuhara had ready access to Ohtani’s bank accounts, that Ohtani would not notice seven figure sums missing from the account, and that as close as the two men were, Ohtani had no idea Mizuhara had a gambling problem. Taken together, it’s almost impossible to believe.

Mizuhara wasn’t a money manager. Why would he have had independent access to wire money from Ohtani’s accounts? Assuming Ohtani has money managers, why did no one, including Ohtani, notice seven figure sums disappearing from the account? Bowyer’s attorney admitted that he allowed Mizuhara to rack up such high debts without payment because he was "best friends" with Ohtani. Why did that even matter to Bowyer in the absence of an explicit promise of repayment?

Dodgy stuff. And we would never have known it but for someone, somewhere, deciding to investigate Bowyer.

What's Next?

Whether Ohtani knew of, or participated in, Mizuhara’s gambling, by helping him financially or using him as a proxy to gamble, matters. The integrity of the sport is at stake if players and employees, especially high-level ones, break clear and unequivocal MLB gambling rules.

RELATED: Pete Rose Chimes In On Ohtani Drama, Wishes He Had Interpreter To Blame For His Troubles

It is up to the MLB to continue its investigation. Mizuhara has already been fired. If Ohtani is somehow involved with Mizuhara’s gambling—whether gambling through Mizuhara or knowingly covering his illegal gambling debts—Ohtani could, and should, face penalties.

And to think, this all came to light based on an unholy union between Mizuhara and Bowyer—the unrelated and seemingly trivial butterfly effect of their meeting—at the very least, tarnishing the formerly spotless legacy of Ohtani. 

Bowyer flapped his wings and a tornado hit Dodgerland.