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Shohei Ohtani 'Grateful' for Ippei Mizuhara Investigation, Wants to Focus on Baseball

Related Topics: Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani says he is "very grateful" for the federal investigation into his former interpreter for allegedly stealing $16 million from Ohtani for use on illegal sportsbooks.

"I'm very grateful for the Department of Justice's investigation," Ohtani said Friday in Japanese, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. "For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I'd like to focus on baseball."

Ippei Mizuhara, who had served as Ohtani's interpreter since his MLB career began in 2017, surrendered to law enforcement Friday, ESPN's Alden González reported.