The Dodgers were playing the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea, last March when a bombshell was revealed: Ohtani's interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara was being criminally investigated for ties to an illegal gambling ring and had stolen a huge amount of money from the baseball star.

Ohtani spoke with SI to promote becoming the first baseball player to join the Fortnite Icon Series. The first baseball player named an All-Star as a pitcher and hitter and the first to record a 50–50 season, Shohei Ohtani is breaking new ground again: the first baseball player to join the Fortnite Icon Series.

The response to Shohei Ohtani at the Tokyo Dome Friday re-established a longstanding truth about the Dodgers: In Japan’s view, there is Ohtani and then there is everyone else.