The former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $17 million to the 30-year-old three-time MVP after he stole a similar amount from Ohtani’s bank account to cover his sports gambling debts.

Ippei Mizhuara was supposed to bridge the language gap between the Japanese pitcher and his English-speaking teammates and fans. Instead, Mizuhara exploited the language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player ’s power.

At Mizuhara’s sentencing hearing, the court ordered him to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release on top of the prison sentence.

NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 50 points to lead the Thunder over the Suns 140-109 on Wednesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander became the ninth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points three times in a seven-game span.

NFL: Virginia McCaskey, who in 1983 inherited the Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, died Thursday. She was 102.

Skiing: Lindsey Vonn hooked a gate and didn’t finish but avoided injury in her opening race at the world championships in Austria. She was competing in the super-G despite feeling sick. The 40-year-old Vonn recently returned to the ski circuit after nearly six years of retirement. Fellow American Lauren Macuga, 22, tied for bronze in her world championships debut.

Women’s basketball: Top-ranked UCLA pulled away late from No. 8 Ohio State for a 65-52 victory on Wednesday. The Bruins are the only unbeaten team in DI with a 22-0 mark. They set a record for the longest winning streak in program history.