Shohei Ohtani ‘grateful’ for Dodgers support following Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal

WASHINGTON – Shohei Ohtani pulled up a chair inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Nationals Park and looked at a television. For a moment he was alone, undisturbed by the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a lone figure watching the Arizona Diamondbacks play the St. Louis Cardinals. Then first base coach Clayton McCullough came over to chat. He approached Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager who also acts as Ohtani’s interpreter. A member of the media relations staff stopped by.

It’s been just over a month since the Dodgers fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime friend and performer, after Ohtani accused Mizuhara of stealing money from the player to finance gambling debts. Dodgers officials have described Ohtani as more approachable since the firing of Mizuhara, who operated as the two-way star’s goaltender. Mizuhara turned himself in last month after federal authorities alleged he stole more than $16 million.

The scandal hasn’t hurt Ohtani on the field; He entered Wednesday’s game batting .364 with a 1.107 OPS for the Dodgers. He offered a small window into his thinking when asked directly how he had been affected by the betrayal of Mizuhara, who authorities have accused of manipulating Ohtani’s bank accounts.

“The investigation is still ongoing, so I can’t really say much about it,” Ohtani said through Ireton before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. “But it really made me realize how supportive my teammates, the organization and the staff have been to me. It has just allowed me to reflect on how grateful I am to be surrounded by them.”

Ohtani hasn’t suddenly become an open book. He declined to say who within the organization he relied on over the past month. “I want to avoid mentioning specific names,” said Ohtani, who has been friends with outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith. “Obviously, I don’t mind the team bringing that up. Obviously, right now we’re in the middle of the regular season. “I don’t want to create any kind of distraction.”

Ohtani deflected another question about how his life has changed without Mizuhara around. “The new performer is probably pretty good,” Ohtani said through Ireton, who flashed a sheepish smile as he gave the answer. Ohtani didn’t say anything else about his former friend.

Manager Dave Roberts praised Ohtani for his “willingness on the margins to get better.” He suggested Ohtani was linking up with hitting coaches Aaron Bates and Robert Van Scoyoc. “They’re really building a good relationship and trust,” Roberts said. “I just saw it now. I see it more. Before, you just saw him when he comes to the batter’s box. So he is much more present, which is also good.”

The Dodgers have not emerged from a phase of fascination with Ohtani. On Tuesday night, Ohtani unleashed his sixth home run of the season, a rocket that clocked an exit velocity of 118.7 mph and landed in the second deck of right field at Nationals Park. The blast was recorded as the hardest-hit ball of Ohtani’s career and the hardest ball hit by a Dodger since Statcast went online in 2015.

“Absurd,” outfielder James Outman called the explosion. “If he hits it with a backspin,” third baseman Max Muncy mused, “he’s sure to be out of the ballpark.”

Ohtani’s monster home run on Tuesday set Statcast records. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

However, Ohtani’s ability to surprise his teammates hasn’t stopped Dodger officials from trying to help him improve. Roberts approached Ohtani last week to rectify his approach with runners on base. The situation has been the only blemish on the field from Ohtani’s first month with the Dodgers: He was hitting .130 with a .345 OPS in 28 plate appearances with runners in scoring position heading into Wednesday’s game.

“I thought it was expanding a little more than necessary,” Roberts said. “So I just wanted to have the conversation with him.”

Ohtani thanked the coaching staff for the information. He discussed his approach with Roberts and his mechanics with the hitting coaches. “It was more about being proactive to allow myself to have quality at-bats in the future,” Ohtani said.

The attention on Ohtani won’t subside anytime soon. On Friday he will face the Toronto Blue Jays for the first time as a Dodger. Over the winter, Ohtani considered the Blue Jays and visited their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. For a memorable day in Decembersome inaccurate reports allowed Toronto fans to believe that Ohtani was about to take his talents to Canada.

“I was as surprised as any fan, in terms of the news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. The impression I got was that this was a really great organization. The fans are also very good. I love the city too. “So I really want to go to Toronto.”

(Top photo of Ireton, Ohtani and media: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)