Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers charged with betting on pitches: ‘They betrayed America’s pastime’
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- Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz indicted on federal charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy for allegedly rigging pitch outcomes.
- Pitches thrown by Clase netted bettors more than $400,000 in winnings from 2023 to 2025, according to the indictment.
- Ortiz was arrested Sunday. Clase has not yet been arrested.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz face federal charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy for allegedly intentionally throwing pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could wager correctly on whether pitches would be balls or strikes.
The 23-page indictment unsealed Sunday in the Eastern District of New York outlines several incidents, including one this season that involved the Dodgers.
During a game at Cleveland on May 28, the indictment states that Clase threw a pitch that was meant to be a ball, but free-swinging Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages chased it and missed, resulting in a strike. Clase retired the side in order for his 11th save of the season in Cleveland’s 7-4 victory.
About 20 minutes later, the indictment states that “Bettor-1” sent a message to Clase of a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase allegedly responded to “Bettor-1” with a GIF of a sad puppy dog face.
The indictment states that from 2023 to 2025, bettors “won at least $400,000 from the Betting Platforms on pitches thrown by” Clase.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged in illegal betting schemes linked to the Mafia.
Ortiz joined the scheme in 2025, according to the indictment: “Ortiz agreed to throw balls (instead of strikes) on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks.” Clase allegedly served as middle man between the bettors and Ortiz.
The indictment states the alleged scheme started as early as May 2023 with Clase, who purposely threw pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could win proposition bets.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Atty. Joseph Nocella Jr. said professional athletes hold a position of trust — with their teammates, leagues and fans.
“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches, “ Nocella said. “In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime.”
Lawyers representing Clase and Ortiz said their clients are innocent of the charges.
“Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win,” Clase’s attorney Michael Ferrara told the Athletic. “Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Chris Georgalis, the attorney representing Ortiz, sent a lengthy statement to the Athletic, that read in part: “As Luis’ defense team extensively explained and documented to the government before these charges were brought, Luis’ payments and other transfers of money between him and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for lawful activities. Notably, the indictment completely lacks any alleged evidence connecting Luis to these alleged bettors or demonstrating any purposeful involvement in a scheme....
“Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government’s case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself, and he will prevail.”
The indictment lays out the prosecutors case in detail. When Clase hurled a pitch in the dirt facing Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals during a game in April, for example, prosecutors allege Clase was thinking about something besides getting Witt out. He was thinking about “repairs for the country house,” according to the indictment.
“The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches,” wrote Assistant U.S. Atty. David Pitluck in the indictment. “In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments — funneled through third parties — in exchange for rigging pitches.”
Clase, 27, is one of the top closers in baseball. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic led the American League in saves in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has a career earned-run average of 1.88 to go with 182 saves.
Clase signed a five-year, $20-million contract in April 2022 that included a $2-million signing bonus. The deal also includes $10-million club options for 2027 and 2028.
Federal authorities in Los Angeles charged six people Wednesday, including three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and an alleged ‘Israeli crime figure,’ with running an illegal gambling operation.
Ortiz, also from the Dominican Republic, was traded to the Guardians before the 2025 season after spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. ESPN reported that the betting-integrity firm IC360 sent alerts to sportsbook operators regarding two pitches thrown by Ortiz in June.
The first came when Ortiz spiked a slider in the dirt to open the second inning against the Seattle Mariners. The second came when Ortiz opened the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals with a slider that flew to the backstop.
Both pitchers were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July when MLB launched an investigation and were moved to the restricted list when the regular season ended. The Ohio Casino Control Commission also started an investigation.
If convicted on all charges, the pitchers face up to 65 years in prison. Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday morning. Clase has not yet been arrested.
MLB has a rule that prohibits players from betting on any game they participate in. Breaking the rule makes a player “permanently ineligible” to play professional baseball.
The MLB inquiry is ongoing. The league said Sunday it contacted federal investigators at the outset of its investigation and was aware of the indictment, which was replete with descriptions of specific schemes between the two pitchers and bettors.
Wild allegations filed this week by federal prosecutors in one of the most sweeping and sensational betting scandals in recent professional sports history.
Clase often texted a bettor after games to confirm wagers had been placed, the indictment alleges. After the game against the Royals in April, Clase asked the bettor to send the money they won to the Dominican Republic, telling the bettor it was “for repairs to the country house.”
The indictment also alleges that Clase used his cellphone during games — which violates MLB rules — to communicate about the scheme. During a game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 17, Clase texted Bettor-1 asking if he was “ready,” prosecutors said.
Bettor-1 responded, “Of course.”
Ten minutes later, according to the indictment, numerous bettors won approximately $10,000 placing bets that a pitch thrown by Clase would be a ball or would hit the batter, and that it would be slower than 97.95 mph.
Wagers on a specific event or individual performance within a game that does not necessarily depend on the final score have become increasingly popular. Called proposition bets, they allow bettors to focus on often arcane statistical achievements or odd occurrences.
But prop bets are creating new challenges for authorities investigating illegal betting. According to a federal indictment unsealed in October, NBA player Terry Rozier provided a friend with inside information about his planned early exit from a March 2023 game. The friend placed bets on Rozier underperforming statistically.
The information was sold for approximately $100,000 to bettors, who placed more than $200,000 in wagers. Rozier was arrested in a wide-ranging indictment by the same Brooklyn-based Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s office that brought the indictment against Clase and Ortiz.
