Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Indicted for Rigging Pitches in Massive Sports Betting Scandal

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if they are convicted of all charges pressed upon them.

Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Indicted for Rigging Pitches in Massive Sports Betting Scandal

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz (Image via MLB)

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On Sunday, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were indicted for rigging pitches in the MLB in a massive sports betting scandal. The two of them are facing upto 65 years in prison if they are convicted on all charges.

On July 3, Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through the All-Star Break. This was later extended to August 31. He was placed on leave following two suspicious pitches during games against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Towards the end of the month, the Guardians would lose another piece of their bullpen in the form of Clase. The 3-time All-Star was also placed on non-disciplinary paid leave until August 31 in connection to a sports betting case.

The Department of Justice have now charged them with sports betting and money laundering. The two of them are reported to have been involved in a betting conspiracy and purposely rigged pitches for thousands of dollars during the games.

As per the 23-page indictment outlined by the prosecutors, Clase was reported to be involved in rigging pitches since 2023. The right-handed pitcher, who was regarded as one of the best relief pitchers in the game, would regularly throw balls instead of strikes on purpose.

He would throw more sliders rather than cutters on the first pitch of an at-bat. The betters would place wagers on whether his pitches would be a ball or be under a specific mph threshold.

The 27-year-old would provide money to bettors to gamble on himself. He would also communicate with bettors in the middle of the games.

Ortiz, who joined the Guardians through a trade in December 2024, would join him in this scandal. The two Dominican Republic stars would then scheme together.

As per the indictment, Ortiz got started on this on June 15, 2025. The 26-year-old would allegedly throw a ball on his first pitch for $5,000. Clase would receive the same amount for organizing this fraud.

On June 27, Ortiz would repeat this and throw a ball on his first pitch during the third inning. This time, he would receive $7,000.

Luis Ortiz arrested, Emmanuel Clase not in custody following federal indictment

Following the federal indictment, Luis Ortiz was arrested by the officials on Sunday in Boston. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Clase is not in custody as of now.

Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase
Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase (Image via The Sun/Sports Illustrated)

Hours after his arrest, Ortiz’s attorney would issue a statement. In this, they denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he was “innocent” regarding the two suspicious pitches.

Luis Ortiz is innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw. He has never, and would never, improperly influence a game—not for anyone and not for anything.

Luis Ortiz’s defence attorney said

Clase’s federal attorney Michael Ferrara, also issued a statement on Sunday. They expressed that the relief pitcher had “devoted” his life to baseball and was looking to clear his name in court.

Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.

Emmanuel Clase’s attorney said

A month ago, a video regarding Clase preparing in the Dominican Winter League went viral. He could be seen throwing pitches and getting ready to appear for the Estrellas Orientales.

Clase had established himself as one of the best relievers in the game while playing for the Guardians. In the 2024 season, the pitcher went 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, allowing just 10 runs (5 earned) over 74.1 innings. He led the American League in saves in each of the last three seasons.

Before this incident, Clase was 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 47.1 innings. At that time, he was third in the AL regarding saves with 24.

Cleveland Guardians release statement regarding Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged with sports betting and money laundering on Sunday. Following this, the Cleveland Guardians would also release a statement regarding their two pitchers.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz (Image via Bleacher Report/X/@TalkinBaseball)

In the statement, the Guardians revealed that they were aware of the action taken and issued full cooperation regarding the investigation.

We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.

Cleveland Guardians said in a statement regarding Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz

This is not the first time Clase has run into trouble with the MLB. After being traded by the Texas Rangers in December 2019, he was banned for 80 games after testing positive for Boldenone, a banned performance-enhancing drug (PED). He would thus miss the entire COVID-19 shortened season.

After going 4-5 in 69.2 innings with a 1.29 ERA, Clase would sign a 5-year, $20 million extension with the Guardians. He had made over $12 million in 7 years in the league and was supposed to make $6.4 million in the 2026 season.

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