TORONTO — In front of the Blue Jays' dugout, two hours before Saturday night’s Game 2 of the World Series, was not the ideal time or place for Rob Manfred to discuss baseball’s gambling issues.

But the commissioner didn’t have much of a choice, given Thursday’s federal indictments alleging that a current NBA coach and player were among those involved in rigged illegal poker games and online sports betting schemes. Did those bombshell allegations put baseball on a higher alert?

“We are and have been really vigilant on the issues surrounding legalized sports betting,” Manfred said. “Obviously, our No. 1 priority is to protect the integrity of the game. We think we have great systems in place that allow us to do that. In addition, we’ve worked really hard to provide resources to players

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