OAN’s James Meyers
10:20 AM – Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Major League Baseball (MLB) has permanently banned San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano after discovering that he placed hundreds of bets on different MLB games, including Pittsburgh Pirates games when he was still with that team last season.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement on Tuesday, explaining that the investigation showed that Marcano violated Rule 21(d)(2) of the league’s betting rules and policies.
Additionally, four other players received one year suspensions for betting on other teams as well, which includes Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, Padres pitcher Jay Groome, and Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez.
The investigation revealed that Marcano was found to have bet on the Pirates while he was still on their injured list (IL).
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”
Marcano becomes the first active major league player banned under the MLB’s gambling provision since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924.
The investigation also showed that Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related wagers, between October 16th, 2022, and November 1st, 2023, totaling over $150,000.
The MLB also stated that 25 of those bets included wagers on Pirates games while he was on the team’s roster. However, Marcano did not play in any of those games due to being on the injured list following a season-ending knee injury.
Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning just 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets, according to the MLB.
According to Spotrac, the 24-year-old has made $2.7 million so far during his baseball career. He has a career .217 average and .589 OPS in 149 games.
Rule 21, which is posted in every team’s clubhouse, states that betting on any baseball game in which a player, umpire, league official, or team employee that has “no duty to perform,” results in a one-year suspension. Additionally, betting on a game in which the person has a duty to perform results in a lifetime ban.
The league stated that they were tipped off about the illegal betting by an unidentified sports betting operator.
Furthermore, none of the players who are being punished specifically played in any games on which they bet on, and all players denied to the MLB that they had inside information relevant to their wagers. The MLB later said that these were accurate testimonies that aligned with data they received from the sportsbook.
Pete Rose, who has been left out of the Hall of Fame, received a lifetime ban in 1989 after he was found to have placed bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-1987 while playing for and managing the team.
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