Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was involved in a gambling-related scandal this spring but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing. Washington Nationals Manager Dave Martinez is in his 33rd major league season as a player, coach or manager. He was in the prime of his playing career when MLB issued Pete Rose a lifetime ban for betting on baseball in 1989, and he has been in major league clubhouses practically ever since.
“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 this week. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century.
Still, as the suspensions levied against Marcano and four other players this week proved, knowing the rules does not always mean following them. MLB has tried to account for that, too. One of its partners tipped off MLB to bets placed by the suspended players.