In a new wrinkle to an ongoing betting saga, a former teammate of Shohei Ohtani may have placed illegal bets with the same bookie as his ex-interpreter, according to reports.
As reported by ESPN on Friday evening, former Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher placed bets on several sports, but not on baseball, through Orange County-based bookmaker Mathew Bowyer.
Bowyer is the same bookie that allegedly took bets from longtime Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who prosecutors say stole about $17 million from the Japanese baseball sensation before racking up gambling debts in the millions.
Fletcher, a teammate of Ohtani for the better part of six seasons with the Angels, has been described as one of the now-Dodgers star’s closest friends in baseball. The Angels traded Fletcher to the Atlanta Braves in December.
Also in the report were allegations that former minor leaguer Colby Schultz, who appears to be a close friend of Fletcher, bet on Angels games while Fletcher was with the club. The pair appear in numerous social media photos together.
Fletcher admitted to ESPN in March that he’d met Bowyer on multiple occasions and knew that he was a bookmaker, but denied placing any bets with him.
Major League Baseball allows active players to place legal bets on sports other than baseball, however any bets made with Bowyer would be considered illegal. Violators of that rule are subject to a minimum one-year suspension.