A former teammate of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani may have placed bets with the same bookmaker used by Ohtani’s former interpreter, according to ESPN.
Citing unnamed sources, the sports reporting platform said infielder David Fletcher, a teammate of the Grand Valley Angels from 2018 to 2023, placed a bet with Mathew Bowyer’s bookmaker.
Ohtani’s former Japanese translator, Ippei Mizuhara, recently agreed to plead guilty in federal court to two counts of bank fraud and signing false tax returns in connection with a scheme to steal more than $17 million from Ohtani to pay off Orange County debt. Some gambling companies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
ESPN said Fletcher, who was traded to Atlanta, placed bets on multiple sports but not baseball.
(Charlie Nyberg/AP)
Fletcher was traded to Atlanta last year and has struggled since signing a five-year, $26 million deal with the Angels in 2021. Gwinnett Stripers.
ESPN reported Friday that Fletcher placed bets on multiple sports but not baseball. Former minor leaguer Colby Schultz, identified as a close friend of Fletcher, reportedly placed bets on Angels games during Fletcher’s time with the Angels.
Fletcher told ESPN in March that he had met Bowyer multiple times and knew he was a bookmaker, but denied placing bets with him, the outlet reported.
Major League Baseball rules prohibit players from betting on baseball under any circumstances and prohibit illegal means of betting on other sports. Violations may result in penalties, including fines, suspensions and, if betting on baseball, permanent ban from the game.
The gambling reports by Fletcher and Schultz are the latest twist in a saga that has rocked the baseball world since The Times reported on the story on March 20. It emerged that Bowyer was an alleged illegal bookmaker.
Federal officials concluded that Osani, who denies gambling, was the victim in the case. The two-way star, who was traded to the Dodgers late last year, is free to continue playing.
Major League Baseball said in a statement that it would “wait until the criminal proceedings are resolved before determining whether further investigation is warranted.”
