MLB investigating Yu Darvish after brother seized in gambling ring
Major League Baseball will investigate Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish after the pitcher’s brother was arrested for running an illegal gambling ring, according to The Japan Times.
Darvish’s brother, Sho, was arrested in October in connection with the ring. He allegedly took bets on both MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) games.
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Yu Darvish is not suspected of any wrongdoing by the Osaka police, but MLB takes gambling allegations seriously. The league looked into allegations that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke fixed games back in 2014, and launched a similar investigation when Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart was was accused of betting on baseball. In both scenarios, the players were cleared of all allegations.
Darvish missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. While he would not have been able to influence games from the mound, it’s possible he could have relayed inside information from the team’s clubhouse. That’s likely what MLB will investigate.
It’s also possible that Darvish supplied that information without being aware of his brother’s gambling ring. He could have unwittingly supplied inside information to his brother during phone calls, without realizing his brother would use that knowledge for illegal purposes.
The fact that Osaka police have had Darvish’s brother since October, but have failed to connect Yu to the ring is probably a good sign for a pitcher. Still, MLB doesn’t mess around with gambling allegations. The league will thoroughly evaluate the situation, and could come to a decision quickly. The league only needed about two weeks to come to a conclusion on Cosart.
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Betting on the game is still considered the cardinal rule in baseball. Any time a player is connected to gambling, even if that connection is tenuous at best, the league will look into the situation. Darvish may eventually be cleared of any wrongdoing, but only after MLB thoroughly examines the case.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
