Gambling costs Padre his career

Marcano banned for life after investigation finds he placed bets on games his team played in

- RONALD BLUM

Tucupita Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games, and won just 4.3 per cent of his MLB-related bets.

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball for life for betting on the sport and four others were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball on Tuesday in the game’s biggest gambling scandal in decades.

MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totalling more than $150,000 (U.S.) in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook. He became the first active player in a century to be banned for life because of gambling.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was suspended for one year for betting on baseball while in the minors, and three minor leaguers also were banned one year for wagers on big-league games: pitchers Jay Groome (Padres) and Andrew Saalfrank (Diamondbacks) and infielder José Rodríguez (Phillies). Those players bet less than $1,000. Saalfrank and Rodríguez have big-league experience.