Baseball is reeling once again. ESPN announced the launch of "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani", a six-episode series under the 30 for 30 Podcasts banner that promises to reveal every corner of the illegal gambling scandal that rocked the Los Angeles Dodgers and jeopardized the reputation of the Japanese superstar who signed the second-largest contract in baseball history: $700 million for 10 years.

The voice behind the project is journalist Tisha Thompson, who was the first to break the media bombshell in 2024. Thompson isn't alone; she brings with her never-before-seen material, including the only interview Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's former coach, gave after his arrest. This is complemented by testimonies from federal agents and direct access to Mathew Bowyer, the illegal gambling operator at the center of the storm.

Thompson herself described her meeting with Mizuhara as "probably one of the most important interviews I've ever done, and also the strangest." A description that, given the context of the case, is hardly surprising.

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The scandal's figures: straight out of a movie

For those who remember the case with some distance, the numbers remain staggering. Mizuhara placed more than 19,000 bets between 2021 and 2024, accumulating net losses of $41 million. To cover these debts, he stole nearly $17 million directly from Shohei Ohtani's bank accounts, taking advantage of the relationship of trust he had built over years as Ohtani's personal interpreter.

The legal outcome was decisive; Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution. Ohtani, for his part, was exonerated by both MLB and federal authorities, and was treated throughout as the victim of a monumental fraud. The scandal reached its peak precisely at the most important moment of his career: just as he was arriving in Los Angeles as the most visible face of international baseball.

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The Episode Schedule

The series kicks off on July 28 with the episodes "The Letter O" and "The Interview," where the audio of Mizuhara saying, "I'm Ippei Mizuhara, and you have permission to record me," will be heard for the first time. From there, the weekly releases will unfold as follows:

• July 30: “Baseball Boy”
• August 4: “The Bookie”
• August 6: “The Feds”
• August 11: "Footnote"

Each episode promises to reveal previously untold details about the fall of a seemingly unbreakable friendship and the modus operandi behind one of the most shocking frauds in recent MLB history.

Beyond the Scandal: A Warning for Modern Baseball

The podcast doesn't just reconstruct the timeline of the fraud. According to project information, the series also explores Mizuhara's background, the nature of his relationship with Ohtani, and how he managed to manipulate access to the Japanese star's bank accounts for years without being detected.

In that sense, "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani" transcends the scandal itself to become a cautionary tale about the security gaps and real risks faced by superstars in the era of multi-million dollar contracts and global exposure. When a player signs for $700 million and delegates his daily life to a small circle of trust, the vulnerability is proportional to the magnitude of what's at stake.

On July 28, baseball will once again hear the name Ippei Mizuhara. This time, in his own words.

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Who is Shohei Ohtani?

Shohei Ohtani was born on July 5, 1994, in Oshu, Japan. A two-way player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is considered the most complete player of the modern era of baseball. He debuted in MLB in 2018 with the Angels before signing with Los Angeles in 2024 for $700 million, the largest contract in professional sports history. A three-time consecutive MVP winner, he has redefined the limits of what is possible in a single player by excelling simultaneously as a rotation ace and an elite power hitter. He was exonerated by MLB and federal authorities in the gambling scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.