Ex-MLB All-Star casts doubt over Shohei Ohtani's gambling innocence: 'The circumstances don't add up'

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Shohei Ohtani was adamant that he never bet on baseball, or sports in general, nor did he ever willingly pay a bookie, but not everyone is buying that story.

Ohtani claims that his now-former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole money from his bank accounts in order to gamble, but that came after Mizuhara said that Ohtani had openly helped him pay off gambling debts.

Mizuhara has since admitted he lied in his original interview to ESPN, and Ohtani continues to say that Mizuahara was "stealing money and telling lies."

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, talks with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the ninth inning of an Opening Day baseball game against the San Diego Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

But former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski says the story stinks of suspiciousness.

"First of all, I want to give the benefit of the doubt to Shohei, because he's an incredible talent. But . . . I just don't know how you can have multiple large deposits taken out of your account," Pierzynsky told Outkick's Dan Dakich. "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, ‘Hey, by the way, you’ve had nine $500,000 deposits go out? Nine of them?' 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. . . . "

Ohtani is not necessarily in a rare category, the two-time All-Star says: "I know plenty of guys