Topline
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, two Major League Baseball pitchers signed with the Cleveland Guardians, accusing them of accepting bribes and kickback payments from sports gamblers to throw specific pitches during games.
Federal prosecutors allege Clase (pictured) and Ortiz received thousands to throw specific pitches during MLB games in a scheme that began as early as 2023.
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Key Facts
In an indictment unsealed Sunday, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York accused Clase and Ortiz of rigging pitches to defraud online sportsbooks, the MLB and the Cleveland Guardians, and in the process “illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime.”
The pitchers allegedly coordinated with two bettors, identified only as Dominican citizens, who paid the athletes in exchange for throwing pitches at certain speeds, or throwing balls instead of strikes.
The bettors would then place specific prop bets on the pitches on two online sportsbooks, neither of which were named in the indictment.
Clase and Ortiz were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy for wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, money laundering and influencing sporting contests through bribery.
Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday and will make a court appearance Monday, prosecutors said, but Clase was not yet in federal custody.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Guardians said they were “aware of the recent law enforcement action” against the two pitchers, and said they planned to fully cooperate with federal authorities.
Big Number
$450,000. That’s how much money the anonymous bettors won through the scheme, according to the indictment. The indictment also outlines numerous specific games where Clase and Ortiz were allegedly paid thousands by the bettors to throw specific pitches. The indictment alleges Clase called one of the bettors with his cell phone during a May 2025 game to coordinate pitches with one of the bettors, though the MLB prohibits players from using cell phones during games. In a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners when Ortiz was starting, the pitcher allegedly accepted $5,000 to throw a ball as the first pitch of the game’s second inning.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/11/09/2-cleveland-guardians-pitchers-indicted-in-alleged-pitch-rigging-betting-scheme/
