Shohei Ohtani ‘grateful’ for Dodgers support in wake of Ippei Mizuhara gambling

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

A little more than a month has passed since the Dodgers fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime friend and interpreter after Ohtani accused Mizuhara of stealing money from the player to fund gambling debts. Dodgers officials have described Ohtani as more approachable since the dismissal of Mizuhara, who operated as gatekeeper for the two-way star. Mizuhara turned himself in two weeks ago after federal authorities alleged he stole more than $16 million. 

The scandal has not hampered 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 mindset when asked directly how the betrayal from Mizuhara, who authorities have charged with manipulating Ohtani’s bank accounts, has affected him. 

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

Ohtani has not suddenly become an open book. He declined to say who within the organization he has leaned upon during this past month. “I do want to avoid mentioning specific names,” said Ohtani, who has palled around with outfielder Teoscar Hernández and strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith. “Obviously, I don’t mind the team mentioning that. Obviously, right now, it’s the middle of the regular season. I don’t want to create some kind of distraction.” 

Ohtani deflected another question about how his life has changed without Mizuhara around. “The new interpreter is probably pretty good,” Ohtani said through Ireton, who wore a bashful grin while providing the answer. Ohtani said nothing else about his former friend. 

Manager Dave Roberts praised Ohtani for his “willingness on the margins to get better.” He suggested Ohtani was bonding with hitting coaches Aaron Bates and Robert Van Scoyoc. “They’re really building a good relationship and trust,” Roberts said. “I just see him now. I see him more. Before, you sort of just see him when he gets to the batter’s box. So he’s around a lot more, which is a good thing, too.”

The Dodgers have not exited a stage of fascination with Ohtani. On Tuesday evening, Ohtani unleashed his sixth home run of the season, a rocket that…