Governor of Ohio advocates for a halt to individual player prop wagers, as an inquiry into the performance statistics of Cleveland Guardians pitchers is ongoing
In the world of baseball, two significant stories are unfolding. On one hand, the San Diego Padres have made a splashy acquisition, securing All-Star closer Mason Miller from the Athletics before the trade deadline. On the other hand, the league is embroiled in a sports gambling investigation, with Cleveland Guardians' reliever Emmanuel Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz under scrutiny.
Miller, a formidable pitcher, is expected to bolster the Padres' bullpen. However, the focus in Cleveland is on Clase and Ortiz, who have been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's ongoing investigation. The probe centers around unusual betting patterns involving certain pitches, with allegations that wagers were placed on pitches being balls or hit batsmen.
The investigation initially centred on Ortiz's pitches, with unusual spikes in wagers from accounts in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio placed on pitches intentionally outside the strike zone. Clase's name surfaced following a June 27 alert by a betting integrity firm monitoring abnormal betting markets. The specifics of Clase's involvement are yet to be detailed, but the league's confidentiality agreement with the MLB Players Association limits information disclosure during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio has called for the removal of prop bets from gambling sites due to the ongoing investigation involving Ohio professional athletes. DeWine believes the harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. He also stated that the evidence of harm caused by prop betting to athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass.
This isn't the first time the sports world has been rocked by gambling allegations. In June 2024, MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. Marcano was found to have placed 387 baseball bets totaling over $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.
Elsewhere, the NBA is considering barring props following Jontay Porter's lifetime ban for wagering on his own games. The NBA is not directly linked to the ongoing MLB investigation, but the issue of sports gambling continues to be a hot topic in professional sports.
As the investigation into the Cleveland Guardians' pitchers continues, the future of Clase and Ortiz remains uncertain. The Padres, meanwhile, will be eager to see what Mason Miller can bring to their team as they push for playoff contention.
The ongoing MLB investigation focuses on unusual betting patterns surrounding certain pitches, with allegations of wagers placed on pitches being balls or hit batsmen involving Cleveland Guardians' reliever Emmanuel Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz. Governor Mike DeWde of Ohio has called for the removal of prop bets from gambling sites due to the ongoing investigation, citing potential harm to athletes and the integrity of the game. Previously, in June 2024, the NBA suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, further highlighting the issue of sports gambling in professional sports.
