A brother of Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish was arrested by Japanese police Tuesday for his alleged role in an illegal gambling ring that placed bets on US and Japanese pro baseball games, local media reported.

Public broadcaster NHK and other local media said Sho Darvish, 26, was taken into custody along with seven others in Osaka, while the Asahi newspaper said the group had been accused of taking bets worth some 18.5 million yen ($154,000).

It was not clear if any of the bets involved Texas Rangers' games.

Police said they could not immediately comment on the reported arrest.

Gambling in Japan is generally illegal, including most sports betting.

Darvish's older brother was a star in Japan's professional league before joining the Major League Baseball team three years ago.

In 2013, the now 29-year-old lead the major leagues with 277 strikeouts and he reached 500 major league career strikeouts in fewer innings than any other pitcher.

The arrest came a week after two pitchers with the Yomiuri Giants -- Japan's New York Yankees in terms of popularity and commercial reach -- were found to have gambled on baseball games.

The findings by Nippon Professional Baseball, the professional domestic league, follow revelations earlier this month that another player had also been involved in illegal betting.

The embarrassing news came as Tokyo tries to get baseball reinstated as an Olympic sport in time for its hosting of the 2020 games, after it lost the status in 2008.

Source: AFP