Infamous MLB Gambler Pete Rose Weighs In On The Shohei Ohtani Scandal

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Perhaps not since Pete Rose has Major League Baseball had a gambling scandal as big as the one that’s currently unfolding with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

Over the last week, reports about payments from Shohei Ohtani’s bank account being wired to a bookmaking operation have become the top story of the sports world, in no small part due to the bizarre nature in which the alleged facts have unfolded.

First, it was reported that Ohtani’s translator and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was the one responsible for the gambling debt. During a 90-minute-long interview with ESPN, Mizuhara even accepted responsibility.

Then, however, mere hours after ESPN broke the story, the spokesperson who arranged Mizuhara’s interview with ESPN renounced Mizuhara’s statements, sending speculation around the story into a tailspin, with many now believing Ohtani has been the one gambling.

Ohtani is set to speak to the media on Monday, March 25, although he will not be answering questions.

In a video posted to Instagram by former NFL and MLB player Josh Booty, former MLB player and manager Pete Rose — who has been famously barred from being admitted to the Hall of Fame due to his gambling on baseball games — weighed in on the unfolding scandal.

“Back in the 70s and 80s, I wish I had an interpreter. I’d be scot-free…” Rose says in the video.

Until we know the facts about Ohtani, his situation and Rose’s are incomparable. At this time, not only is it unconfirmed whether or not Ohtani is responsible for the gambling debt, it also hasn’t been proven that any of those bets were on MLB games either.

During the 2024 offseason, Ohtani, 29 years old, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after spending the first six years of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels. The two-time AL MVP had much of the money on the contract deferred, however, to 2034-2043.