After Guardians Pitchers Emmanuel Clase & Luis Ortiz Are Charged In Pitch-Rigging Scheme, New Questions About Sports Betting Surface

Last Sunday, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on federal charges accusing them of accepting bribes to rig individual pitches in Major League Baseball games.

The indictment, unveiled in federal court in Brooklyn, alleges that Clase and Ortiz conspired with a group of bettors who placed wagers on specific pitching outcomes, including pitch type, pitch speed, and whether a pitch would be a strike or a ball. Prosecutors say the two pitchers were paid to manipulate these results during live games, feeding insider information to their conspirators.

The league said in a statement, “MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”

The Guardians also went on record stating that they will cooperate with law enforcement and Major League Baseball with their investigation moving forward.

Federal prosecutors allege that the group involved in the scheme earned substantial winnings from the manipulated pitches. The players are now facing a series of charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, honest-services fraud, money laundering and a bribery-related conspiracy to influence sporting events. Each charge carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.

While each charge carries up to 20 years in prison, each pitcher faces up to 65 total years in prison as a result of the charges. This scandal comes about just weeks after the arrests of NBA players Terry Rozier and Damon Jones over similar betting-related issues, giving out insider info to their co-conspirators who profited off of bets such as taking the under on points for Rozier back in 2023, a game where he only played just under 10 minutes and then went out due to injury. 

The defendant’s attorneys have denied these charges. “Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win,” the closer’s attorney told CBS Sports. Ortiz has also denied all allegations against him and claimed he “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game – not for anyone and not for anything.”