BREAKING: The MLB to ban Angels key-player due to bet with the bookie used by Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter, sources say

 

The MLB to likely to  ban former Angel key-player due to bet with the bookie used by Shohei Ohtani’s

According to ESPN, Shohei Ohtani’s former teammate may have placed wagers using the same bookmaker that Ohtani’s former interpreter used.

The sports news portal claimed, using anonymous sources, that infielder David Fletcher, Ohtani’s Angel teammate from 2018 to 2023, wagered with Mathew Bowyer’s bookmaking business.

As part of a plot to steal more than $17 million from Ohtani covertly to pay off an Orange County bookmaker, Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former Japanese language interpreter, recently consented to plead guilty in federal court to one count each of bank fraud and signing a false tax return.

Fletcher struggled after agreeing to a five-year, $26 million deal with the Angels in 2021 and was dealt to Atlanta last year. He presently plays for the Braves’ minor league team, the Gwinnett Stripers.

ESPN revealed on Friday that Fletcher wagered on multiple sports except baseball. As stated in the report, Fletcher’s close buddy and former minor leaguer Colby Schultz placed bets on Angels games while Fletcher was a member of the team.

Fletcher denied placing bets with Bowyer when he told ESPN in March that he had met the man several times and knew he was a bookmaker.

According to Major League Baseball rules, players are not allowed to gamble on baseball under any circumstances or use illicit methods to bet on other sports. Punishments for infractions may include fines, bans, and, in the case of baseball wagering, a lifetime ban from the sport.

The newest development in a tale that has the baseball community captivated since The Times published the story on March 20 is the gambling report by Fletcher and Shultz. According to the newspaper, Ohtani’s name has come up in the federal inquiry of Orange County resident Bowyer, an accused illicit bookmaker.

Othani has denied gambling, but federal authorities have determined that he was the victim in this case. After being traded to the Dodgers in the latter part of the previous season, the versatile player is free to play.

In a statement, Major League Baseball stated that it will “wait until the criminal proceeding is resolved to determine whether further investigation is warranted.”