Suspicions of gambling on baseball re-emerge

By David Mullen

With 72 percent confidence, prior to the first game of a three-game series in Anaheim between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels on July 28, USA TODAY predicted the Rangers to win 6-3. Their betting experts made the prediction based on “data-driven analysis provided by TrueTandem.” The online odds page providing the projection was sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Behind starter Jacob deGrom, the Rangers were considered a “solid pick,” favored by 1.5 runs with a money line of -220, meaning bettors had to wager $220 to make a $100 profit. The O/U (based on a bet over or under the number of total runs scored in the game) was 9 runs.  

The Angels beat the Rangers 6-4. The underdog team won and the score went over the predicted total. It was just one of 4,860 regular season games played each year, yet thousands of people had a legal bet on it. 

On the same day as the Rangers’ loss, Cleveland Guardians reliever and three-time All-Star Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Sunday, Aug. 31 by MLB. Clase joined teammate and close friend pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was placed on paid administrative leave July 3 after unusual gambling activity on two pitches that he threw far outside the strike zone in games on June 15 at Seattle and on June 27 against St. Louis.

Clase was a Texas Rangers prospect before being traded to Cleveland in December 2019 with Delino DeShields for pitcher Corey Kluber. The league has launched an investigation of whether Clase violated the league’s gambling policy stemming from two early season appearances. According to reports, “the gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.”

It is possible to bet on any facet of the game these days down to the results of a single pitch. 

Once taboo, MLB now quietly encourages gambling on baseball as long as it does not involve “managers, coaches, players, umpires, club and league officials and employees.”

As a closer, it is common for Clase to open an inning. Clase, like Ortiz, has a tendency to throw wildly on his opening pitch often referred to as a “waste pitch.” He usually recovers to throw strikes. Bettors love to bet on trends. If the trend is that Clase throws his first pitch in the dirt on every appearance, bettors will execute a prop bet on the pitch. If Clase or Ortiz knowingly threw a ball to somehow affect a prop bet, they could be in violation of league bylaws.    

A prop bet (formally called a proposition bet) is placed on specific occurrences that don’t necessarily affect the final outcome of the game. Online betting service WagerTalk refers to prop bets as, “the game within a game.” A well-worn “novelty” prop bet popularized each year is the color of the Gatorade that will be dumped on the winning coach of the Super Bowl. I always bet on Cool Blue. 

Baseball loves the prop bet because of increased fan engagement. Even if the final outcome seems decided, placing prop bets throughout the game keeps TV viewers in the action. Although not legal in Texas, many states have authorized online betting. A person watching a game can place any number of seemingly insignificant bets via phone, laptop or remote from the comfort of a La-Z-Boy chair.  

In every baseball team’s home and away clubhouse, in English and in Spanish, a sign is posted with what is known as Rule 21. The sign is usually easy to find. It is posted next to the poker table in the locker room.

Major League Rule 21 is subtitled “MISCONDUCT.” Rule 21(d) specifically addresses gambling and states that, “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.” Yet MLB may be gambling with the future of the game. 

MLB has lucrative partnerships with prominent sports betting operators including FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook and bet365. They are called “Official Sports Betting Partners,” which allows them to access MLB content, in-stadium promotions, stadium signage and broadcast visibility. Baseball continues to promote gambling as long as they are not directly involved.

In June 2024, MLB suspended five players for gambling. San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for making legal sportsbook bets and A’s pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers received one-year suspensions.

MLB, stung by the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal and embarrassed in the 1980s by manager Pete Rose for betting on games, is quick to react to any inappropriate gaming activities by MLB employees. In 1989, Rose was handed a lifetime suspension by then commissioner Bart Giamatti, which prevented him from appearing on the ballot for enshrinement to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Rose died in September and his ban has since been lifted by current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. 

There were two things I noticed related to the potential scandal that are at least coincidental, if not ironic. A story in USA TODAY regarding Clase’s suspension was interrupted by a hyperlink that read, “Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY.” On the television broadcast of one of the Ortiz pitches in question, a billboard behind the catcher clearly promotes Bet 365.

With the prevailing attitude, MLB seems to say that gambling is OK as long as players don’t jeopardize the integrity of the game. But where is the integrity if the league heavily punishes players for questionable activity while reaping the benefits from “Official Sports Betting Partners?” Be careful what you wish for.