Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter initially told a reporter that the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger had agreed to cover his massive gambling debt but reversed course less than 24 hours later, according to a newly released audio recording.
The interview, which federal authorities later said “created an international incident,” is featured in “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani,” a new six-episode series from 30 for 30 Podcasts. Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter who said he and Ohtani were “like brothers,” initially told ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson in a 90-minute interview that Ohtani helped him pay off debts to an illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara detailed how he started betting with the bookie after meeting him at a poker game and…