NEW YORK (AP) – Two pitchers from the Cleveland Guardians, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, have been indicted for allegedly accepting bribes from gamblers to manipulate certain pitches during games. According to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, the players took several thousand dollars to assist two unnamed bettors from the Dominican Republic in winning at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets pertaining to pitch speed and outcomes.
The investigation began when Major League Baseball (MLB) noted unusually high betting activity linked to both pitchers' performances, prompting a formal inquiry in July. Investigators have since determined that Clase and Ortiz were involved in suspicious betting correlations during their appearances in games throughout April, May, and June 2023.
Ortiz, aged 26, was arrested by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport on Sunday and is expected to appear in federal court there on Monday. Clase, who is 27, remains free. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. criticized the actions of the players, stating they "betrayed America’s pastime," highlighting the importance of integrity in professional sports. Both players are facing serious charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests through bribery, with potential maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
Defense attorneys for Ortiz and Clase have maintained their clients' innocence. Ortiz's lawyer, Chris Georgalis, asserted that the payments and money transfers were related to lawful activities, while Clase's attorney, Michael J. Ferrara, emphasized that his client has dedicated his life to baseball and has never attempted to compromise game integrity.
The indictment includes specific instances where Clase allegedly threw manipulated pitches. For instance, he is accused of inviting a bettor to a game against the Boston Red Sox in April and communicating with him just before pitching. Shortly after, the bettor won $11,000 on a wager that Clase's pitch would be slower than 97.95 mph. Additionally, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in May, Clase reportedly agreed to throw a specific pitch, resulting in a strike that cost the bettors $4,000. Following this incident, Clase sent a message to one of the bettors with a distressing image, indicating the stakes involved.
Ortiz, who earned a salary of $782,600 this year, became involved in the betting scheme in June and is accused of rigging pitches in games against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals. Specific examples noted in the indictment include Ortiz bouncing a slider to batter Randy Arozarena on June 15 and another to Pedro Pagés on June 27 that went to the backstop.
This case is part of a broader federal crackdown on corruption linked to professional sports betting. Recently, over 30 individuals, including notable figures from the NBA like Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, were arrested in a related gambling sweep. The increase in gambling incidents among athletes has been accelerated after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on sports betting in most states in May 2018.
In response to the ongoing investigations, MLB has stated its commitment to working with law enforcement to address the integrity issues surrounding professional sports. The Cleveland Guardians organization also expressed its intention to cooperate fully with both law enforcement and MLB as these matters unfold.
