Sho Darvish’s baseball betting arrest has become a family affair.
On Tuesday, several news outlets reported that Darvish’s older brother, Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is now being investigated by Major League Baseball for his potential involvement in Sho’s alleged gambling ring.
According to The Japan Times, there are no charges—yet—for Yu Darvish at this point, but the MLB is conducting a probe “to find out if there is any link between the ace and the reason for his younger brother’s arrest.”
In an email to the Japanese news outlet, MLB VP for communications Michael Teevan said: “We are aware of this situation and are looking into it, per our standard protocols.”
The 26-year-old Sho Darvish was arrested by Osaka police in October on charges of gambling and running a betting ring. Osaka authorities claimed the younger Darvish is part of an illegal gambling ring that bet on U.S. and Japanese baseball games.
Sho Darvish reportedly acted as an agent for his betting clients, receiving a 10 percent cut of all wagers he received via a smartphone messaging app. Authorities claimed he accepted some 1,850 wagers valued at ¥10,000 each.
According to an earlier Japan Times report, the bets that led to the arrests were taken on 16 MLB and 28 Japanese pro baseball games between May 12 and 18, 2015. Authorities, however, haven’t revealed whether any of the wagers were placed on Rangers games.
Yu Darvish didn’t play during the entire 2015 season after undergoing an elbow reconstruction surgery in March, but MLB is concerned that the pro baseball player was “in a position to provide inside information on the Rangers and other teams via his clubhouse access.”
In a statement sent through his agents, Yu Darvish said he understood why MLB needed to conduct an investigation, but he’s certain they would find he had no involvement.
“I am not and have never been involved with the gambling activities,” the Texas Ranger pitcher said. “While I understand that Major League Baseball must conduct an investigation, I am certain that they will find that I had no involvement in this matter whatsoever.”
