MLB Looks into Several Athletes for Potential Sports Betting Infractions
Baseball's top league, Major League Baseball (MLB), is delving into the allegations surrounding five players who broke the rules on sports betting. The focal point of this investigation is Tucupita Marcano, an infielder with the San Diego Padres, who is accused of gambling on baseball games while he was on the roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year.
The MLB strictly forbids players, coaches, team staff, and others involved in the league from placing bets on any form of baseball, from the lower leagues to the pros. Those without a duty to perform face a suspension of a year, while players and similar personnel playing on the field risk a lifetime ban if caught breaching the sports gambling condition.
According to The Wall Street Journal, it was discovered that 24-year-old Marcano could have bet on games involving the Pirates during the time he was benched due to injury. However, there's no evidence of any tampering or manipulation of these games at the moment. This suggests that Marcano didn't bet against the Pirates or instruct his teammates to throw or fix games for his own gain.
The league is also looking into the potential betting activities of four other players who competed in the minor leagues. Their identities have not been disclosed.
Marcano's Lifetime Ban?
If the MLB confirms Marcano's involvement in sports gambling during his time with the Pirates, he could face a lifetime ban from the league. This would make him the second active player ever banned indefinitely from Major League Baseball and the first in a century.
From 1924, the only other known instance of a lifetime ban occurred when New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell was permanently excluded for offering a $500 bribe to a Philadelphia Phillies player to throw a game. O'Connell's coach, Cozy Dolan, was also barred for being complicit in the fix.
Pete Rose, the most famous player to be banned by MLB, was already out of the league when he agreed to a lifelong ban in 1989 for betting on Cincinnati Reds games he managed.
So far, Marcano hasn't made it on the field this season, as he continues to recover from an ACL injury sustained in July of 2021. In a surprising turn of events, he was claimed by the Padres from another team in November. The team's response to the ongoing MLB investigation is to (1) "We acknowledge an investigation by Major League Baseball regarding a matter that occurred when the player in question was a member of another organization and not affiliated with the San Diego Padres;" and (2) "We will not have any further comment until the investigative process has been completed."
Since his professional debut in April 2021, Marcano has a batting average of .217, with five home runs, 34 RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 149 games played. He's earned a wage of more than $2.7 million in just three years and is due to receive $746,000 in 2024.
Baseball's Betting Scandals
With Marcano's case, the MLB now faces another betting scandal on its hands.
Recent events have brought to light a story involving Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was recently sentenced to time in jail for bank and tax fraud relating to a $17 million sports betting scam. Even though prosecutors have alleged that almost all the money was used to cover his betting debts, there's been no indication that the star player, a two-time American League MVP, knew about his interpreter's illegal activities.
