Tyler Glasnow says quiet part out loud about Shohei Ohtani gambling investigation

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has managed to keep a singular focus on baseball despite being embroiled in a gambling scandal involving former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. When Mizuhara was fired on March 21, it became increasingly harder for Ohtani to adapt to a new team, deal with the controversy caused by his former interpreter and friend, and navigate the pressure of living up to his $700 million contract.

Ohtani's ability to compartmentalize was made easier by his teammates. They stood by his side and never doubted his innocence even as questions lingered about his potential involvement in the scandal.

Tyler Glasnow says Dodgers never doubted Shohei Ohtani's innocence

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow explained why the team knew Ohtani was innocent during an appearance on "The Chris Rose Rotation" podcast.

"Being in the clubhouse, everyone knew right away clearly he had nothing to do with it," Glasnow said. "The first thing he did was like, 'Take my phone! Figure this out!'"

"We all knew early on that Ippei was doing some shady stuff," he added. 

"It didn’t seem like [Ohtani] was very stressed about it, either," Glasnow said. "I think when you know that you’ve done nothing, it’s only a matter of time before they figure it all out."

Ohtani maintained that he had no involvement in Mizuhara’s gambling and that he was a victim of fraud. Court documents ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing. While questions will continue to surround the scandal, Glasnow is happy that his teammate can just focus on the season now.

"It seems like there has not been any mental sweat lost on his part," Glasnow said. "I'm glad all this stuff has come out so he can now just focus on [the season]. I'm sure he's going to get asked about this all year, but he'll handle it well.”

Ohtani played a significant role in Glasnow signing an extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December. Just one week after he signed with the Dodgers, Ohtani sent Glasnow a video asking him to join him in Los Angeles.

"It definitely added a lot of points for me to go to the Dodgers," Glasnow said at the time. "It was awesome. He just said he wants me to come on the team and hopes to hit some home runs for me and join me on the pitching staff the following year."

Glasnow has been a valuable addition for the Dodgers, especially since Ohtani will not pitch until 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery.

Glasnow had a stellar performance against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. He tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts, the most by a Dodgers pitcher in over four years. He allowed only three hits and became just the seventh pitcher in Dodgers history to allow no walks.

Ohtani has been dialed in as a designated hitter. In 18 games with the Dodgers, the 29-year-old is slashing .338/.386/.662 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, and 25 hits.