Major League Baseball has not accused Yu Darvish of wrongdoing, but has to investigate, due to the family connection.
Major League Baseball is investigating Texas Rangers ace pitcher Yu Darvish, due to Darvish’s brother’s arrest in Japan for operating an illegal gambling ring. An MLB spokesman was quick to say that Yu Darvish has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but the probe into his contact with Sho Darvish in procedural in such cases.
Sho Darvish was arrested in Japan as an illegal bookmaker for taking wagers on Nippon Baseball League and Major League Baseball games. No one knows is Sho took wagers on Texas Rangers games or not, but that is a major focus of the MLB investigation. It is likely the brothers’ text and email conversations will be probed by the MLB investigators, to see if there was any suspicious interaction between them regarding Texas Rangers games.
Robert Whiting Speculates on the Case
Much of the news information on the investigation at the moment is pure speculation. For instance, CBS Sports asked best-selling author and noted expert on Japanese culture, Robert Whiting, who said the younger brother (Sho) might well have quizzed his famous brother for inside information about MLB baseball.
Whiting has written books like “You Gotta Have Wa” and “Tokyo Underworld”, which detail specific aspects of Japanese culture. “Wa” features the Japanese love of baseball, while “Underworld” details Japan’s organized crime syndicates, collectively known as the Yakuza. Whiting therefore has a unique perspective on the intersection between crime and sports in Japan.
The author said, despite a rigid ban on gambling (besides pachinko) in Japan, “Gambling on baseball in Japan exists, it always has existed, and always will.”
Whiting: Might Have Provided Unwitting Information
Whiting added, “As for (Yu) Darvish, you would have to say it was likely that he provided information, unwittingly I would have to assume (unless of course he is looking to supplement his income, which the last time I looked was about half of Masahiro Tanaka’s). Anything Darvish would have to say about team injuries or health of the players could affect the possible outcome of a game and the betting line.”
That is a great deal of speculation. New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has a 7-year, $155 million contract. Yu Darvish has a 6-year, $60 million contract. While Darvish does make about half as much as his contemporary MLB pitcher, he still lives a lavish lifestyle which could only be undermined by a connection to illegal gambling.
Sho Darvish’s Arrest
Sho Darvish was arrested alongside 7 other men in October 2015 for running an illegal sports betting ring. The collective 8-member gaming operation is thought to have collected $150,000 in bets. This money was wagered on 16 MLB games and 28 Nippon Baseball League games from May 12 to May 18, 2015. If one assumes Yu Darvish makes between 30 to 35 starts per year, he makes roughly $300,000 per start. Therefore, his paycheck for one game is twice as much as the entire turnover for Sho Darvish’s entire illegal gaming enterprise. The numbers simply do not add up that Yu Darvish would have anything to do with his brother’s bookkeeping business.
The more likely possibility is Yu Darvish might have passed on an insider’s knowledge of Major League Baseball games to an illegal bookmaker. As Robert Whiting suggested, it is most likely this would have been inadvertant, because most people do not assume their brother is an illegal bookmaker. Still, it is troublesome to have any connection to an illegal betting ring, no matter how tenuous it might be. In a sport whose history is riddled with betting problems in the past, like the Black Sox scandal and Pete Rose scandal, Major League Baseball wants no appearance of impropriety.
Impact on Yu Darvish
For his part, Yu Darvish released a statement on the probe. The statement read, “I am not and have never been involved with gambling activities. While I understand Major League Baseball must conduct an investigation, I am certain that they will find that I had no involvement in this matter whatsoever.”
Yu Darvish spent the 2015 season on the DL, recovering from Tommy John surgery. He might miss the first part of the Rangers 2016 season, though he is expected to make a recovery and attempt to become the Texas Rangers’ ace pitcher once more.
