ESPN REPORT: Sad News, New York Yankees head coach has been issued a…
Gerrit Cole, the ace of the New York Yankees, was shut down and saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache, a specialist in Los Angeles, on Wednesday to have his right elbow further tested.
It was stated by manager Aaron Boone that he does not know how long Cole will be out. Cole is anticipated to start the season on the injured list, having already been ruled out for Opening Day.
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Earlier this week, Cole went to Florida for an MRI on his elbow after he complained of “discomfort.” Boone informed the media on Wednesday that Cole did not recover as anticipated in between appearances.
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“His recovery, before getting to his next start, has been more akin to what he feels during the season, when he’s making 100 pitches,” Boone stated to reporters. “He typically doesn’t have the recovery problems he’s experiencing when he’s at 45 [pitches] and building to 55.
“I think there’s a level of discomfort, but I wouldn’t describe it as he’s in pain.”
On Tuesday, Cole, 33, was scheduled to begin his second spring training session. In his opening game on March 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays, he gave up three runs over the course of two and a half innings. Six days later, he faced Yankees hitters in a simulated game and threw 47 pitches in three innings. When he spoke with reporters afterwards, he did not express any pain.
When Cole was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 2016, he was placed on the injured list due to elbow irritation. The current Cy Young Award winner has a three-year, $324 million contract that is in its fifth year.
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Wire transfers, Shohei Ohtani, and his interpreter: There are still a lot of unanswered concerns regarding Shohei Ohtani’s potential involvement in the wire transfers that resulted in the termination of his interpreter, according to timeline play investigative writer Tisha Thompson of ESPN. (3:38)
5:00 PM ET on March 22, 2024, Tisha Thompson, ESPN
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The news this week that Ippei Mizuhara, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ longtime buddy and interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, had been sacked stunned the sports world.
However, Mizuhara’s dismissal was merely the most recent abrupt development in a winding, 48-hour ordeal that transpired across two continents as ESPN reporters attempted to respond to inquiries concerning a minimum of $4.5 million in wire transfers that were sent from Ohtani’s bank account to a bookmaking enterprise that is the subject of a federal probe. Whether that is the last twist or not is unknown.
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Two days after Ohtani’s handlers’ story changed from one of a superstar saving his friend to one of “massive theft,” there are still unanswered issues, such as whether or not anyone is looking into the claimed theft. Although they did not specify which law enforcement agency received the formal complaint, Ohtani’s team announced on Thursday that they had forwarded it to them.
ESPN was informed by several sources that the FBI and the California Bureau of Investigation were not involved in the case. Representatives from the district attorneys’ offices in Orange and Los Angeles counties, as well as the Los Angeles Police Department, all stated that they were not conducting any investigations and that the situation was most likely federal in nature. The Central District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
Ohtani does not gamble, according to sources, including Mizuhara, who told ESPN that the money was moved to offset Mizuhara’s losses. It was also stated by several sources that no baseball was being bet on.
The public revelation of this began with a tip that ESPN got some months prior, which was followed up on by various writers. Over that period of time, information was obtained, but ESPN didn’t have enough confirmation until late Sunday to interrogate important individuals for the first time, including federal law enforcement, Major League Baseball authorities, representatives of Ohtani, the Dodgers, and others.
8:30 a.m. on Monday in Seoul, South Korea, and 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday: A Major League Baseball source claims that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred finds out about Ohtani’s situation while in South Korea getting ready for the Dodgers-Padres season-opening series. Later, a source would claim that MLB had asked federal authorities in California for information early on Monday but had not heard back.
Monday at 3 p.m. ET (4 a.m. in Seoul): ESPN gets in touch with Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s agent, to inquire about the evidence it has discovered, which includes the fact that Ohtani’s name seems to be on two wire transactions totaling $1 million. The transfers had been transmitted to Mathew Bowyer’s bookmaking enterprise in Southern California in September and October. ESPN does not hear back right away.
Monday at 5:30 p.m. ET (or 6:30 a.m. in Seoul on Tuesday): Ohtani’s recently appointed crisis communications spokesperson answers to ESPN. He and an ESPN reporter speak intermittently over the course of the next few hours, with the representative claiming to be keeping up with Ohtani camp updates.
Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. in Seoul on Tuesday): For the first time, the spokesman claims that Ohtani settled the bills on Mizuhara’s behalf. He claims that once Mizuhara “finally came clean to him and said that was the truth,” the agent Balelo went to see her, and Ohtani informed Balelo that he had paid off Mizuhara’s obligations in installments of $500,000. It’s unclear from the statement provided by the spokeswoman if Ohtani spoke with Balelo via Mizuhara.
Ohtani, according to the spokesman, said: “Yeah, I sent several substantial sums. That’s the most I could have sent.”
Since the spokesman was employed by Ohtani, the ESPN reporter is interested in speaking with Mizuhara. The spokesperson promises to set that up.
Tuesday at 9:05 p.m. ET (or 10:05 a.m. on Wednesday in Seoul): ESPN has previously reported from other sources that the gambling debt was at least $4.5 million, which the Ohtani spokesman confirms.
Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. in Seoul): Mizuhara has a 90-minute phone conversation from South Korea with an ESPN reporter. The Ohtani representative has scheduled and shows up for the interview.
According to Mizuhara, he first met Bowyer in 2021 at a San Diego poker event. Former Los Angeles Angels player and friend of Ohtani, Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher, had previously informed ESPN that he was there at the poker game, but he denied introducing the bookie and the interpreter. According to Fletcher and an insider familiar with Bowyer’s operations, Bowyer was able to get into the team hotel’s poker game by way of a friend of Fletcher’s. Fletcher disclosed to ESPN that he had only ever played golf with Bowyer once and had never wagered with his company.
In the ESPN interview, Mizuhara claims that soon after they first met, he began wagering on a variety of sports on credit with Bowyer, but not baseball. He claims he was unaware that Bowyer’s business was unlawful as he had placed bets on DraftKings in the past. He claims that at the time, he was making roughly $85,000 a year with the Angels, and by the end of 2022, he had lost over $1 million and was living off the generosity of friends and family.
“I was unable to tell Shohei about this. I had a difficult time making ends meet. According to Mizuhara, “I was living paycheck to paycheck.” “Because I had to sort of follow his way of life.” However, I was also reluctant to inform him of this.”
He calls Ohtani, with whom he first connected in 2013, “brothers,” and claims to spend more time with him than his spouse.
By early 2023, Mizuhara tells ESPN, his debt had risen to $4 million, at which point he claims he turned to Ohtani for assistance. He claims that in addition to worrying about his safety and that someone would break into his home, he also feared losing Ohtani’s trust.
He says, “I explained my situation.” “And obviously he wasn’t happy about it, but he said he would help me.”
When asked whether Ohtani was aware that the debtor was a bookie, Mizuhara responds that his friend “didn’t have any clue.”
