Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, will plead guilty
LOS ANGELES | The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March.
Mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, the U.S. Justice Department announced. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.
The plea agreement says Mizuhara will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing.
Mizuhara will enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks and is set to be arraigned May 14, prosecutors said.
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”
Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player’s account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.
Mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account in 2018 and began stealing money from that account in 2021, according to the plea agreement. At one point, Mizuhara charged the security protocols, email and phone number associated with it so that calls came directly to him, not Ohtani, when the back was trying to verify wire transfers. Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani to the bank about 24 times, according to the agreement.
Mizuhara also admitted to falsifying his 2022 tax returns by underreporting his income by more than $4 million.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, did not comment on the deal Wednesday.
There was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the prosecution in late March, prompting the Dodgers to fire the interpreter and MLB to open its own investigation.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no comment on the plea deal Wednesday, adding, “I just hope it is more closure on the situation.”
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Mizuhara has been free on an unsecured $25,000 bond, colloquially known as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to put up any cash or collateral to be freed. If he violates the bond conditions — which include a requirement to undergo gambling addiction treatment — he will be on the hook for $25,000.
Ohtani has sought to focus on the field as the case winds through the courts. Hours after his ex-interpreter first appeared in court in April, he hit his 175th home run in MLB, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japan-born player, during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.
Nelly Korda goes
for a sixth straight
win on LPGA Tour
CLIFTON, N.J. | Things are going well for Nelly Korda these days, that’s for sure.
The 25-year-old has won a record-tying five straight tournament starts. She has the No. 1 ranking in the world, along with the 2024 lead in earnings, scoring average and points for the player of the year award. And on top of it all, she got to live out a childhood dream by walking the red carpet at the Met Gala earlier this week.
Korda will try to become the first woman to win six consecutive LPGA starts when play in the 72-hole Cognizant Founders Cup gets underway Thursday at the Upper Montclair Country Club.
“If I’m being honest, I have not thought about it at all because I’ve had so much going on those two weeks,” said Korda, who has not played since winning The Chevron Championship in Texas. “Then obviously yesterday — or Monday — I had the Met, so haven’t had too much time to think about it.”
In winning her second career major two weeks ago, Korda tied Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) and Nancy Lopez (1978) for most consecutive tournament wins. Byron Nelson holds golf’s all-time mark with 11 straight wins in 1945.
The usually reserved Korda insisted she is not thinking that far ahead, noting that can lead to a deep rabbit hole.
While she has been off the past two weeks, Korda said she never got far away from her game, despite catching up on sleep and spending a lot of time on the couch.
“There is two sides to it,” she said. “Obviously when I’m home, I’m definitely practicing a lot more and trying to work on technique. When I’m out here, the way I keep it simple is by not overdoing it too much. Going out, seeing the golf course, doing my work with my caddie, picking a game plan, and then that’s it.”
In the past, Korda said she would come to events and do too much. Now she knows she has put in the work beforehand, and it’s just time to execute when an event starts.
The winning streak had an unexpected benefit this week when Korda got an invitation to the Met Gala.
“It was so, so crazy,” she said. “You’re standing in line ready to get on the carpet and you’re like seeing all these people you usually watch in TV shows or movies and they’re like famous singers and you’re starstruck the entire time. It’s the best people-watching for me. I was just silently looking at everyone’s dresses.”
Korda was given a number of Oscar de la Renta dresses to try on, and seemingly settled on long-sleeve gown.
Twenty minutes before walking on the carpet, she had a golf moment, like when the breeze picks up before a shot to the green. The 9-iron became a pitching wedge.
“I saw this amazing red dress and I just changed my entire look probably 20 minutes before I started to get ready,” Korda said. “Switched it up on everyone. It’s just, I mean, this is me. This is me, visor on, wearing golf clothes. This is my comfort zone. It was really, really neat to step outside of my comfort zone and do something like that.”
It was neat though, and like everything Korda has done on the golf course, it was a perfect choice.
“I thought I would never ever think that I would ever be able to attend the Met Gala,” Korda said. “As a girl I watched it growing up and just in awe of all the dresses. To be on the red carpet or green carpet was a dream come true.”
Korda has not fared well playing in New Jersey. She missed the cut in this event and the Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol in 2023. The Florida resident will be paired for the first two rounds with defending champion Jin Young Ko of South Korea and 2022 champion Minjee Lee of Australia. Lee lost in a playoff with Ko last year.
Hall of Famers Pat Bradley and Beth Daniel, who are here for the event that honors the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour, feel the pressure is on Korda.
“I’m sure she can’t wait for the bell to ring and get inside those ropes and be able to focus like she does,” Bradley said.
“I watched when she won the fifth in a row and she said that was the most nervous she’s been down the stretch,” Daniel said. “I can only imagine how nerve-wracking this week is going to be.”
Osaka plays solidly in
her opening match
at the Italian Open
ROME | Naomi Osaka looked comfortable in her opening match at the Italian Open, beating 45th-ranked Clara Burel 7-6 (2), 6-1 on Wednesday.
It was Osaka’s first victory over a top-50 player on clay since defeating Victoria Azarenka at the 2019 French Open.
Osaka was proud of the way she maintained her mental focus after dropping her serve while serving for the first set at 5-3.
“Just being able to hang in there and eventually close it on my terms is something that I’m very proud of myself for,” she said.
It’s also the first time that Osaka is playing in Rome since 2019 — when she reached the quarterfinals.
Osaka, who was formerly ranked No. 1 but is now No. 173 after a maternity break, served eight aces and produced 27 winners to her opponent’s 10. She’ll next face 19th-seeded Marta Kostyuk, who reached the final of a clay event in Stuttgart, Germany, recently.
Also, qualifier Bernarda Pera beat fellow American Caroline Dolehide 7-6 (6), 6-3 and will next face top-ranked Iga Swiatek; Magda Linette beat Zhu Lin 6-3, 6-2; Brenda Fruhvirtova rallied past Taylor Townsend 3-6, 6-2, 6-0; and Lesia Tsurenko eliminated Donna Vekic 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
In men’s action, Argentine-born Italian Luciano Darderi had strong crowd support in a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Denis Shapovalov on Campo Centrale; Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro eliminated Gael Monfils 6-2, 7-5; and Yoshihito Nishioka defeated Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4).
Several other matches were postponed due to rain.
Rafael Nadal, the record 10-time Rome champion, opens against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs on Thursday.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is also back in Rome after a month out, is on the opposite half of the draw from Nadal. But second-ranked Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both withdrew because of injuries.
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini also withdrew, saying he wasn’t ready to compete following a series of physical issues.
And the Italian federation announced that Camila Giorgi, an Italian who was once ranked as high as No. 26 and won a WTA 1000 event in Montreal 2021, has retired.
Rome is the last big warmup tournament before the French Open, which starts May 26.
Indianapolis sports columnist won’t cover Fever
INDIANAPOLIS | Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel, whose interaction with WNBA No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark at her introductory news conference was criticized in the national media as being inappropriate, will not cover the Indiana Fever in person this season.
Gannett spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón said in a statement the corporate owner of the Star does not comment on personnel matters but added: “Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel will not be covering the Indiana Fever.”
Former Star sports writer Bob Kravitz, citing anonymous sources, first reported the decision and also that Doyel had been suspended for two weeks, which Antón would not confirm. Doyel’s most recent column appeared April 29.
Doyel has apologized for the interaction with Clark during a news conference in Indianapolis two days after the Fever chose the Iowa star with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. When it was Doyel’s turn to ask a question, he made a heart shape with his hands toward Clark, who is known for making the gesture toward family members at her games. That was followed by this exchange:
Clark: “You like that?”
Doyel: “I like that you’re here, I like that you’re here.”
Clark: “Yeah, I do that to my family after every game, so… Pretty cool.”
Doyel: “Well, start doing it to me, and we’ll get along just fine.”
The interaction was roundly panned as being awkward at best and inappropriate and even creepy at worst. Doyel apologized on social media and again in a column.
“In my haste to be clever, to be familiar and welcoming (or so I thought), I offended Caitlin and her family,” he wrote. “After going through denial, and then anger – I’m on the wrong side of this? Me??? – I now realize what I said and how I said it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I mean it was just wrong.”
Doyel did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Wednesday. The Fever are expected to be one of the biggest draws during the WNBA season that opens next week.
—From AP reports
