Getty Image / Allen J. Schaben
The situation involving the alleged embezzlement and gambling of Los Angeles Dodgers P/DH Shohei Ohtani’s money by his former interpreter Ippei Muzuhara was one of the strangest sports stories in recent memory. On Friday, the revelation that his former Angels teammate, infielder David Fletcher, also was betting with the same bookie has raised eyebrows.
Given the fact that Ohtani and Fletcher shared a clubhouse with the Angels for six years, one can see why this muddies the waters quite a bit.
First, the facts. Here’s ESPN with more.
David Fletcher, a former Los Angeles Angels infielder currently playing for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, and his friend, who also played in the minor leagues, both bet on sports with the Southern California bookmaker who took wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, according to multiple sources detailing the activities.
Fletcher, who was Ohtani’s teammate from 2018 to 2023 and has been described as one of his closest friends in baseball, placed bets with the bookmaking operation of Mathew Bowyer, according to the sources. Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, also bet with Bowyer and eventually stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese superstar to feed his addiction, according to prosecutors.
Fletcher’s close friend, Colby Schultz, who played in the Kansas City Royals’ system from 2018 to 2020, placed bets on baseball, including on Angels games that Fletcher played in while he was on the team, multiple sources told ESPN.Fletcher bet on several sports but not baseball, according to multiple sources.
So, someone that ESPN is reporting was one of Ohtani’s very close friends with on the Angels was involved with the same bookie that Ippei was involved with? I won’t judge any further conclusions, as investigators cleared Shohei Ohtani of any wrongdoing in the scheme that they allege saw Ippei unknowingly drain over $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account for gambling with bookie Matthew Boyer.
The thing that’s the most immediately concerning is that Fletcher’s close friend, Colby Schultz, was betting on Angels games that Fletcher was involved in. Again, it would be unfair to make assumptions on what exactly was going on here. But, there are definitely things left up to interpretation.
The scandal has not effected Shohei Ohtani at all. Though he’s unable to pitch this year due to Tommy John surgery, he’s still had a huge impact for the Dodgers.
He currently leads the National League in hits, homers, batting average, slugging, and OPS. After signing the biggest contract in baseball history with the Dodgers over the offseason, early returns on the field are tremendous.