The Major League Baseball ecosystem was shaken by news of a high-profile corruption scandal involving two Cleveland Guardians pitchers who are said to have rigged games for years. In light of this shocking revelation, the US Senate has launched a probe into the broader league to determine how the corruption went unnoticed for two years.

The US Senate Seeks to Understand Why the Fraud Went Unnoticed

According to the announcement, the US Senate Commerce Committee has initiated an investigation into the corruption allegations. As a result, commissioner Rob Manfred will be required to explain why the two pitchers’ manipulation went unnoticed for so long.

The investigation was announced following the indictment of the two players in question last week. For context, the two alleged wrongdoers were identified as Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. According to the allegations, the two deliberately threw certain pitches to facilitate certain betting outcomes.

Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz and ranking member Maria Cantwell announced the investigation in a formal letter to the MLB, in which they highlighted the threat the scandal poses to the sporting sector’s integrity.

MLB to Provide Details on Its Investigation and Monitoring Processes

In their letter, the two senators required the MLB to provide documents on its fraud monitoring protocols. In addition to that, they were suspicious of the fact that the scheme went on for two years, even though the league had managed to successfully identify Tucupita Marcano’s insider betting in 2024 and ban the player.

As a result, the Commerce Committee has requested information on when the MLB identified Clase and Ortiz’s fraud and asked the league to provide all details related to their investigation. All related documents must be submitted by December 5.

An isolated incident of game rigging might be dismissed as an aberration, but the emergence of manipulation across multiple leagues suggests a deeper, systemic vulnerability. These developments warrant thorough scrutiny by Congress before misconduct issues become more widespread.

Cruz and Cantwell acknowledged that game fixing is nothing new, but highlighted the importance of tackling such fraud and shielding the integrity of the sport.