Former Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, who holds the record for the most hits in Major League Baseball (MLB) history but was permanently banned due to involvement in sports gambling, has targeted Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), who is currently embroiled in gambling allegations of his interpreter.
On the 26th (Korean time), Rose posted on social media in response to questions about the illegal gambling allegations against Ohtani’s interpreter, saying, “If I had an interpreter in the 1970s and 1980s, I would not have been punished.”
Rose’s comment seems to imply that although Ohtani is involved in gambling, his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has received all the blame.
Rose, a legendary player who recorded the most hits in MLB history, was permanently banned from the MLB in 1989 when it was revealed that he had placed bets on his team’s games while serving as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. As a result, Rose was never inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ohtani has denied any involvement in the gambling controversy, claiming that he is a victim.
At a press conference on the 26th, he expressed his distress, saying, “I’m very sad and shocked that someone I trusted has done such a thing,” and “It’s hard to express how hurt I feel.”
He emphasized, “Mizuhara lied to me and stole money from my account. I have never bet on baseball or any other sports. I have never asked anyone to do it for me, nor did I contact any bookmakers or agree to pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debts,” reiterating that he had nothing to do with this incident.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service is investigating the Mizuhara case, and the MLB office separately collects related information for an investigation.