Hooks & Runs · A podcast about baseball, music and culture.

257 - MLB's Microbet Investigation Snares an All-Star.

·1 hr 4 min·4 clips

The Pirates scored nine runs in the first inning and still lost 17-16 in Denver.

Hooks & Runs opens in Crazy Carl's Music Emporium in Midtown Bay City, where the air conditioner is still doing the heavy lifting. Craig and Rex settle into their usual easy back-and-forth, talking about the first proper Loose Helmet tour, including a show in Houston and two shows in the Metroplex, plus the fact that more road details will show up later on their Save for Work companion talk. They also spend some time on a recent TV Dolls show and the debut album release they both clearly enjoyed. The episode keeps that relaxed, lived-in feel before shifting into baseball's messier side. When the conversation turns to the gambling investigation, they focus on Michael Kelly and the details that make the case feel especially avoidable. Kelly made his big league debut with the Phillies in 2022, pitched for Cleveland in 2023, and was with Oakland in 2024 when the suspension hit. They note that he was getting regular work for the Athletics before the suspension, with a 3-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 28 games. The bets themselves are the part that sticks: 12 wagers totaling $99.21, placed in October 2021 while he was in the Houston organization, with three of those bets involving Houston. They also emphasize that Kelly was earning $750,000 in 2024, so the risk-reward math looks absurd. The hosts point out the broader rule too: if you're in an organization but not on the roster, the suspension is one year. That keeps the discussion practical rather than preachy. They then bring the story into the present by noting that the Athletics activated Kelly from the restricted list on June 5, that he went right back to the majors, and that through August 3 he had made 18 appearances, thrown 19 innings, and posted a 0.95 ERA. The episode lands on the lesson without turning into a sermon. Baseball still polices its boundaries hard, and the hosts are plainly irritated by how little money was at stake. Near the end, they tease Rick Wise for next week and also mention an expert on the other major gambling scandal from the 1920s. That keeps the episode in motion without losing the thread. The result is a baseball-and-culture conversation that stays grounded in facts, personalities, and the strange economics of one very small bet.

As heard by us

A laid-back baseball conversation that turns a tiny betting case into a bigger warning.

Hooks and Runs starts in the gig room at Crazy Carl's Music Emporium, with the air conditioner humming, and moves at an easy clip through baseball, music, and culture before landing on Michael Kelly's suspension.

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Want the baseball betting story with the numbers left in?

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