A newly surfaced recording has pushed the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal back into the center of the baseball conversation, and the audio is as startling as the case itself.
According to the podcast, the recording captures Ippei Mizuhara allegedly posing as Ohtani during a call with a bank representative in order to authorize transfers from the superstar’s account. The audio is being described as one of the clearest looks yet at how the alleged fraud was carried out.
This is the actual recording of Ippei Mizuhara claiming to be Shohei Ohtani during a call to authorize a transfer of funds to Mathew Bowyer's account.
Listen to the first two episodes of "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani" on July 28, wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/dwBgfIiZ7K
- ESPN (@espn) July 27, 2026
When the first reports tied Ohtani’s name to an illegal sports betting investigation, the reaction across MLB was immediate. Ohtani’s standing in the game - as its best player and one of its most respected figures - made the allegations hard for many fans to process.
But as the investigation developed, the picture changed. Authorities determined that Ohtani was not the person placing bets or knowingly approving money transfers from his accounts. Instead, the focus shifted to Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, who was accused of running the scheme without Ohtani’s knowledge.
Investigators concluded that Mizuhara had allegedly made the bets himself and moved money out of Ohtani’s accounts without the two-way star knowing. That finding moved the spotlight away from Ohtani and onto the man who had been one of his closest confidants for much of his MLB career.
The newly released audio has only intensified interest in a story that already had the baseball world talking. Hearing someone allegedly impersonate one of the sport’s biggest stars adds another jolt to a scandal that has remained one of the most remarkable off-field stories in recent MLB history.
In Other News...
Mariners Recent Slide Could Force A Deadline Call Fans Will Hate
Seattles recent slide has put the front office in an uncomfortable spot as the deadline approaches, with the club no longer looking like a sure thing to hold its place in the race. The Mariners have slipped to third in the AL West, and FanGraphs has their playoff odds down to 55.1%, which is the kind of number that can force a team to start weighing short-term urgency against longer-term roster needs.
Randy Arozarena sits at the center of that conversation because he has been Seattles lone All-Star and its most productive everyday bat, while Gabe Speiers bullpen work and Luis Castillos contract situation only add to the complexity. If the Mariners decide they need to rebalance the roster rather than push all their chips in, the deadline could bring a painful call that changes the look of the team far beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Got One Break But This Dodgers Test Still Feels Brutal
The Mariners caught a small break before this three-game set with the Dodgers, but it hardly changes the shape of the challenge ahead. Shohei Ohtani will stay in Los Angeles lineup as the designated hitter, so Seattle still has to navigate one of the sports most dangerous bats while getting ready for a series that begins with Luis Castillo on the mound.
Even with Ohtani not taking the ball, the Dodgers still look like the deeper, more complete club and remain the favorite in the matchup. Los Angeles had not announced its starting pitchers for any of the three games as of Monday, which leaves Seattle preparing for a lot of uncertainty against a team that can still stack pressure in plenty of ways. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Make Another Offensive Shuffle That Feels Bigger Than It Looks
Rob Refsnyder is back on the active roster after a stint on the 10-day injured list for right knee inflammation, and the move gives Seattle another chance to see whether he can settle into the role the club envisioned when it brought him in on a one-year, $6.25 million deal. The Mariners have been trying to smooth out a left-handed lineup imbalance, and Refsnyders return matters because his bat was supposed to help in that mix, even if his early production before the injury never really matched the expectation.
To make room, Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment after a brief and quiet run with Seattle. He barely got on the field, and when he did, the results were limited enough that the roster decision was not a surprise, but it still underscores how quickly the Mariners are willing to keep shuffling the bottom of the bench while they search for more dependable offense. [Read more 🡒]