Source: Tucupita Marcano, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, runs off the field during the second inning against the New York Mets at PNC Park, June 10, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Major League Baseball issued a lifetime ban to San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano on Tuesday for betting on baseball, according to ESPN. It’s the first lifetime ban of an active player under the sport’s gambling provision in nearly 100 years.
Marcano, who hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since July after tearing his ACL while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, placed 387 bets with a legal sportsbook worth more than $150,000. The bets on baseball took place in October 2022 and from July 2023 to November 2023, including games that involved the Pirates.
“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,” MLB 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.”
The last ban under similar circumstances took place in 1924, when New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell was banned for life for attempting to throw his team’s final series of the season. He offered Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand $500 to throw the game, as the Giants were competing for the pennant with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“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.” – Rob Manfred
Of the 387 bets Marcano placed, 231 were MLB-related, with 25 wagers involving the Pirates. He didn’t appear in any of the 25 games in which wagers were placed. The bets were placed almost exclusively on end-of-game results, losing all of his parlay bets on the Pirates and only hitting on 4.3% of his MLB-related bets, according to ESPN. He wasn’t the only MLB player to receive consequences from sports gambling.
Former Sugar Land Space Cowboys and current Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was handed a one-year suspension Tuesday for betting on MLB games when he was in the minor leagues, according to CBS Sports. He placed $99.22 worth of bets while a member of the Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate.
Source: Michael Kelly of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Houston Astros in the eighth inning at Oakland Coliseum on May24, 2024 in Oakland, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
These penalties follow a concerning trend of professional athletes betting on games involving the leagues and teams they’re actively a part of. Marcano’s ban is the second of its kind in North American sports this year, as the NBA banned former Toronto Raptor power forward Jontay Porter for life in April.
Source: Jontay Porter (center), formerly of the Toronto Raptors, fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III (right) of Oklahoma City Thunder during a game in Toronto, Canada, March 22, 2024. (Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Marcano, from Venezuela, appeared in 149 games over three seasons in the MLB. He signed with the Padres as an amateur free agent in 2016. He made his MLB debut for the Padres in April 2021. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Pirates, before being claimed off waivers by the Padres in November ahead of the 2024 season.
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