The $325K Comeback: Shohei Ohtani’s Baseball Cards Recovered in…
According to The Athletic, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is set to get back $325,000 worth of baseball cards as part of the ongoing legal issues involving him and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Between January and March of 2024, Mizuhara, 39, purchased the cards onlinewith the intent to re-sell them . The cards have Ohtani’s image and others feature Yogi Berra and Juan Soto. Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to bank and tax fraud, after stealing from Ohtani to pay off millions of dollars in sports betting debts. He was fired by the Dodgers in March and indicted by the federal government in April.
The story also indicates that the cards were likely part of a continued plan for Mizuhara to steal from Ohtani. For instance, Ohtani once gave Mizuhara a check for a dental bill. Mizuhara kept the check, and then paid for the procedure off of Ohtani’s bank card.
While just speculation, it’s likely that Mizuhara fraudulently paid for these cards with Ohtani’s money, and then was planning to sell them himself and take the profit.
Despite all the legal issues, Ohtani put up one of the greatest seasons we’ve ever seen in baseball history. The 30-year-old hit 54 homers and posted 59 steals, becoming the first player ever to go 50/50 in a season.
Furthermore, he led the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 2020 as they beat the New York Yankees in five games. Unfortunately, Ohtani suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in that series. He is set to be healthy for spring training, but it remains to be seen how this injury will impact his ability to pitch in 2025. After coming back from Tommy John surgery, he had a program that needed to be followed through the offseason, and this rehab could set that back.
