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Shohei Ohtani had nothing to smile about when he was told of his involvement in Ippei Mizuhara's illegal gambling, acting as his translator and personal manager. But the hospitality of the family team made him smile. PitchClock also paused for a moment to take in the hospitality of Otani's family.

Ohtani started as the No. 2 designated hitter in the "Freeway Series" against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, on Sunday (July 27).

The Angels were the organization that helped Ohtani make his major league debut in 2018 and also gave him the opportunity to try his hand at batting. In his six seasons with the Angels, he was a two-time unanimous MVP (2021, 2023). When Ohtani entered the major leagues, there were many teams in the running for his services, but the Angels made sure he was a two-hitter. The Angels cared, believed in him, and realized his dreams. In 716 career games as a hitter, he batted .248 (681-for-2483) with 171 home runs, 437 RBIs and a .922 OPS, and as a pitcher, he went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA in 86 games (481⅔ innings).

One of the biggest stars in baseball, he became a free agent after last season and was highly sought after, signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, the largest in professional sports history.

This is the final tune-up before the regular season begins on May 29 and a regular matchup of Los Angeles-based teams. The first two games were played at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 25 and 26, and today's game was played at Angel Stadium. It was Ohtani's first trip to Angel Stadium since his trade.

In the first inning, Ohtani stepped to the plate. Time was called, and the Angels played a tribute video for Ohtani on the scoreboard. The pitch clock was also stopped. Ohtani stepped away from the batter's box for a moment to watch the tribute video and acknowledge the fans.

Recently, Ohtani hasn't had much to smile about. He has been involved in an illegal gambling scandal involving his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, that broke during the opening series in Seoul. While illegal gambling bookie Matthew Boyer is under investigation by federal authorities, numerous deposits were made to Boyer's account in Ohtani's name. The transfers were made to pay off money Mizuhara owed for illegal gambling. Mizuhara owed $4.5 million.

After learning of Mizuhara's involvement in illegal gambling during the investigation, ESPN conducted a 90-minute interview with Mizuhara. During the interview, Mizuhara claimed that Ohtani had paid off his debt on his behalf. However, a spokesperson for Ohtani refuted Mizuhara's interview, emphasizing that Ohtani was the victim of a massive theft. Mizuhara also retracted his initial interview.

Since then, controversy has raged around Otani. Mizuhara questioned how someone so close to him could secretly transfer large sums of money from his account and emphasized that it was inexplicable that he didn't know about it. Ohtani finally spoke out on April 26.

"I didn't realize this was happening until a few days ago," he said, "Itpay stole money from my account and lied to me. I'm personally very sad and shocked that someone I trusted would do something like this," he said, expressing his feelings of betrayal to Mizuhara, adding, "I didn't even know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt. I never agreed to pay off the debt or pay the bookie," he said, emphasizing that he had nothing to do with the incident.

"Ippei asked to speak with me one-on-one at the hotel after the opening game," Otani said. After the game, Ippei addressed the Dodgers in the clubhouse, and he spoke in English, and I didn't have a translator with me. But even in that situation, I had a feeling that something was wrong," he recalls.

"Before that meeting, I didn't know that Ippei was addicted to gambling, and when we went back to the hotel and talked one-on-one, I realized that I owed him a huge amount of money. At that point, Ipay admitted that he had used my account to send money to bookies. When I later spoke to my agent, I realized that Ippei had been lying the whole time, so I contacted the Dodgers organization and my lawyer. My lawyer advised me to let the authorities handle the matter because it was a fraud," he explained.

However, the general consensus in the local media is that Ohtani is not immune from Mizuhara's illegal gambling case. If Ohtani was unaware of this, Mizuhara could face charges such as falsifying official documents and identity theft. It's also argued that the fact that Ohtani paid the debt on his behalf is itself a violation of federal law.

It's been a devastating time for Ohtani, but despite the recent controversy, fans have stood by her. Ohtani's first at-bat at Angel Stadium was greeted with warm applause and cheers. He watched the team's tribute video and responded to the fans' hospitality with a smile. It was a day when Ohtani was all smiles.

At the plate, however, his recent emotional turmoil seemed to show. In his first at-bat with the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, Ohtani engaged in a two-pitch, two-strike battle with Chase Ciles, but swung wildly at a 96.1 mph fastball on the sixth pitch for a strikeout. In his second at-bat with the bases loaded in the third, Ohtani struck out. He worked a full count with Silses and swung at a 79.8-mph slider in the sixth. He was then replaced by Miguel Rojas in the top of the sixth inning for his third at-bat of the day.

Mizuhara's dismissal came after the conclusion of the opening series in Seoul on Feb. 20, when he was involved in illegal gambling. In the Seoul series, Mizuhara went 2-for-20, 1-for-21, and 3-for-10 with two RBIs. However, as the Mizuhara controversy continued, he went 0-for-6 with a walk and two strikeouts in the Freeway Series on the 25th to close out the exhibition games. Now, Ohtani will make his first appearance at Dodger Stadium on the 29th in the mainland opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Meanwhile, the game ended in a 3-4 loss for the Dodgers after Ohtani's no-hitter. The Dodgers got three solo home runs from Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Gavin Lux. Starter James Paxton allowed three runs on four hits (one homer) with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

For the Angels, starter Chase Cilses was impressive, allowing two runs on five hits (two homers) with four walks and 10 strikeouts in five innings.

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