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Major League Baseball began an investigation last year into former Angels player David Fletcher for gambling on sports with a bookmaker who also took bets from Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Fletcher remains on the Atlanta Braves' payroll, playing out the final year of his guaranteed five-year contract with the team's Double-A affiliate, but could face a permanent ban from Major League Baseball.
Fletcher is alleged to have placed bets with one Mathew Bowyer.
Boyer was expected to be sentenced on April 4. The 49-year-old pleaded guilty in August to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return.
Bowyer was originally set to be sentenced in February. No reason was provided in the court documents for the rescheduled sentencing.
Bowyer’s sentencing has now been delayed to Oct. 3.
“I would have preferred to get this over with, man," Bowyer told USA TODAY Sports. “I know people have told me that the longer the delay, the better for sentencing. It’s just the anxiety of the unknown that sucks.
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“I feel like I’m in a pickle between second and third base, but closer to second base."
He added: “My life was like the 'Wolf of Wall Street,’ but if Shohei’s name wasn’t involved in this. Nobody would give a [expletive] about me. You’re talking about the biggest athlete in the world. I don’t think we’ll ever see a player like this again in our lifetime."
As far as Fletcher goes, Boyer defends the notion he never wagered on baseball games.
“He never bet on baseball, he just bet on sports," Bowyer said of Fletcher, who was also a golfing buddy. “I feel bad for him. This tarnished him. He did nothing wrong in my opinion. He was just doing what I think more than half of the athletes are doing."
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