Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase have been indicted by the Department of Justice, the U.S. District Attorney's Office announced Sunday.. The pair, who have been on indefinite leave amid an MLB gambling investigation, have been indicted with several charges, including conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy
In a 23-page indictment, the DOJ alleges the two pitchers conspired with bettors to intentionally throw balls so their co-conspirators could cash in on wagers related to the type of pitch.
Prosecutors say Clase may have been participating in this scheme as early as May 2023, while Ortiz joined later. Per the DOJ, Clase's role earned his co-conspirators at least $400,000 in rigged bets.
View: https://x.com/PabloTorre/status/1987587583946142090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1987587583946142090%7Ctwgr%5Ed8cb80f0b9b93c111d22886f3e63a16bca4fbe7d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fmlb%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle%2Fguardians-pitchers-luis-ortiz-emmanuel-clase-charged-with-sports-betting-money-laundering-conspiracy-by-doj-183353266.html
Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday, while Clase is not yet in custody.
In one of the incidents on June 15, prosecutors claim Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing the intentional ball, while Clase was given $5,000 for facilitating it. The other suspicious pitch, on June 27, netted Ortiz and Clase $7,000 each.
Additionally, before the June 27 incident, Clase allegedly withdrew $50,000 in cash and gave $15,000 to a co-conspirator to place money on Ortiz's pitch. Ortiz's two rigged pitches allegedly led bettors to win at least $60,000.
If convicted of all charges, Clase and Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison.
Ortiz was placed on leave on July 3 after MLB flagged two of the starter's pitches in June. Both of the suspicious pitches were balls thrown well outside the zone, with both happening at the very beginning of an inning. In both incidents, large amounts were placed on the outcome of the first pitch of the inning.
Clase — considered one of the best closers in the league — was placed on leave on July 28, though his connection to the league's gambling investigation was initially unknown.
Both pitchers were initially set to go off leave on Aug. 31, but MLB chose to extend the leave "until further notice" on the day it was supposed to expire.
"MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process," the league said in a statement to ESPN. "We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation is ongoing."
The first incidents took place in May and June of 2023, with additional incidents occurring this season. Bettors placed more than a hundred wagers on pitch speed and ball/HBP bets in 2023, per the indictment. One incident in April 2025 led several bettors to win around $15,000.
In one incident in May 2025, after bettors had placed $4,000 in total wagers that the pitch would be a ball, Clase threw a pitch that a batter swung at that was ruled a strike. Per the indictment, 20 minutes after the strike, the primary bettor sent Clase a gif of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase responded with a gif of a sad puppy dog 10 minutes later.
In connection with the investigation, Ohio regulators began drafting a bill to ban certain types of micro-bets in August at the request of Gov. Mike DeWine.
"The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly," DeWine said in a news release on July 31.
The indictment is the second major investigation into gambling in professional sports, after Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested as part of an FBI probe that rocked the NBA.
In a 23-page indictment, the DOJ alleges the two pitchers conspired with bettors to intentionally throw balls so their co-conspirators could cash in on wagers related to the type of pitch.
Prosecutors say Clase may have been participating in this scheme as early as May 2023, while Ortiz joined later. Per the DOJ, Clase's role earned his co-conspirators at least $400,000 in rigged bets.
View: https://x.com/PabloTorre/status/1987587583946142090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1987587583946142090%7Ctwgr%5Ed8cb80f0b9b93c111d22886f3e63a16bca4fbe7d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fmlb%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle%2Fguardians-pitchers-luis-ortiz-emmanuel-clase-charged-with-sports-betting-money-laundering-conspiracy-by-doj-183353266.html
Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday, while Clase is not yet in custody.
In one of the incidents on June 15, prosecutors claim Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing the intentional ball, while Clase was given $5,000 for facilitating it. The other suspicious pitch, on June 27, netted Ortiz and Clase $7,000 each.
Additionally, before the June 27 incident, Clase allegedly withdrew $50,000 in cash and gave $15,000 to a co-conspirator to place money on Ortiz's pitch. Ortiz's two rigged pitches allegedly led bettors to win at least $60,000.
If convicted of all charges, Clase and Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison.
Ortiz was placed on leave on July 3 after MLB flagged two of the starter's pitches in June. Both of the suspicious pitches were balls thrown well outside the zone, with both happening at the very beginning of an inning. In both incidents, large amounts were placed on the outcome of the first pitch of the inning.
Clase — considered one of the best closers in the league — was placed on leave on July 28, though his connection to the league's gambling investigation was initially unknown.
Both pitchers were initially set to go off leave on Aug. 31, but MLB chose to extend the leave "until further notice" on the day it was supposed to expire.
"MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process," the league said in a statement to ESPN. "We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation is ongoing."
Clase accused of participating in rigged betting two years ago
Per the indictment, Clase agreed to deliberately throw certain pitches, often on the first pitch of an at-bat, as long ago as 2023. The indictment includes multiple examples, attaching photos that show Clase's pitches landing in the dirt or even the grass in front of home plate.The first incidents took place in May and June of 2023, with additional incidents occurring this season. Bettors placed more than a hundred wagers on pitch speed and ball/HBP bets in 2023, per the indictment. One incident in April 2025 led several bettors to win around $15,000.
In one incident in May 2025, after bettors had placed $4,000 in total wagers that the pitch would be a ball, Clase threw a pitch that a batter swung at that was ruled a strike. Per the indictment, 20 minutes after the strike, the primary bettor sent Clase a gif of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase responded with a gif of a sad puppy dog 10 minutes later.
In connection with the investigation, Ohio regulators began drafting a bill to ban certain types of micro-bets in August at the request of Gov. Mike DeWine.
"The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly," DeWine said in a news release on July 31.
The indictment is the second major investigation into gambling in professional sports, after Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested as part of an FBI probe that rocked the NBA.
