Watch Shohei Ohtani get introduced as a Dodger for the first time by Brian Cranston at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day amid a betting scandal and the firing of his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara

Despite being in the middle of a betting scandal that saw him have millions allegedly stolen from him by friend and former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani tried to put on a happy face as he was introduced as a member of his new team for the first time.

It was Opening Day at Dodger Stadium and to mark the special occasion the team had Breaking Bad star Brian Cranston announce the lineups.

Ohtani, batting second, was revealed to a standing ovation and thunderous applause from the Dodger faithful packed into the stadium at Chavez Ravine.

In his first at bat, Ohtani got himself a double – but was tagged out trying to turn his hit into a triple when Mookie Betts didn’t round for home.

Prior to that at-bat, he got another standing ovation with applause as people eagerly awaited the superstar’s first hacks at the plate.

He greeted fans on the blue carpet and walked out to a standing ovation from the crowd

In his first at-bat, Ohtani bagged a double – but was tagged out trying to turn it to a triple

A few days ago, Ohtani addressed the situation with the press for the first time since the news broke about it while the team was in Korea.

‘Just on a personal note, I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I’ve trusted has done this,’ Ohtani said on Monday.

He assured fans, ‘I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf, and I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.

‘Up until a couple of days ago, I didn’t even know that this was happening. Just to go over the result, in conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.’

Since then, spokespeople for Ohtani have said they’ve started an investigation into Mizuhara’s actions – but did not say which agency was in charge of it.