"The circumstances don't add up" - Former All-Star A.J. Pierzynski skeptic about Shohei Ohtani's innocence in Ippei Mizuhara's gambling scandal
LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been under the microscope for the past few days since his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's betting scandal came to light last Wednesday. There have been divided opinions on the matter as some feel the two-way phenom might just be in on the scandal, while others feel he was truly unaware of Mizuhara's deeds until it came out.
Former Chicago White Sox All-Star A.J. Pierzynski recently shared his thoughts on the scandal while speaking to Outkick's Dan Dakich. The ex-catcher said that he had his doubts over Ohtani's innocence in the gambling scandal.
"First of all, I want to give the benefit of the doubt to Shohei, because he's an incredible talent," Pierzynski said. "But I just don't know how you can have multiple large deposits taken out of your account. I know Shohei probably wasn't watching it every day, but he's got people that watch that stuff. You don't think there was an accountant that would've noticed. One, maybe you're like, ‘OK, we missed something.’ But nine of them for $4.5 million? That's where it gets a little weird to me.
"And then, the other thing that is weird is the day this all comes out, he's in the dugout like ‘Hey buddy, we’re pals. Let's go out to dinner.' And then all of a sudden, right after the game, they tell you ‘No, this guy stole $4.5 million from you without you knowing?' The circumstances don't add up."
On Monday, Ohtani recently faced the media for the first time after the scandal and stuck to his statement, stating that he had no information about Mizuhara's scandal until it came out.
Ippei is currently facing a criminal investigation, which is jointly led by the IRS and DHS. Alongside that, MLB is also investigating the Ohtani-Mizuhara betting scandal.
Shohei Ohtani jokes about impressive debut for Dodgers 'big three' on Opening Day
Shohei Ohtani's new side, LA Dodgers, has started the new season in winning fashion. They played the season opener in Seoul against the San Diego Padres, where they won 5-2. They also won their home opener against the Cardinals, thrashing them 7-1.
The Blue crew had a terrific game at the Dodgers Stadium on Thursday, as all their pieces on the field clicked perfectly. Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarbrough pitched well during the game.
The famous Dodgers top-order or the 'big three,' Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were again outmatched. Although Betts and Freeman both muscled home runs, Ohtani missed that. Following the match, Ohtani joked about not hitting a home run in the game.
"I was the only guy who couldn't hit a homer, but I had a pretty good game today," Ohtani said (per SportsNet LA).
Ohtani had 2-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, bringing his batting average to .385. When combined, Betts, Ohtani and Freeman had five hits, two home runs and four RBIs.