Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges related to a gambling scheme, the latest in a string of betting scandals that have rocked sports.
Two and a half weeks after indicting an NBA player and two coaches for their alleged roles in gambling schemes, the United States Attorney’s Office out of the Eastern District of New York accused Clase and Ortiz of rigging individual pitches to benefit unnamed bettors. The indictment alleges that Clase and Ortiz received kickbacks for agreeing to manipulate their performance so that associates could profit from bets on their individual pitches’ location and velocity.
“Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the release announcing the indictment.
MLB insider Jeff Passan and sports betting reporter David Purdum explain the details of the indictments, what’s next for those involved and what this means for the MLB.
Who are Clase and Ortiz, and what is the timeline of their involvement?
Clase was the closer for the Cleveland Guardians and one of the best relief pitchers in Major League Baseball, a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year award. The Guardians acquired Ortiz, a 26-year-old right-handed starter, in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates last December.
The 27-year-old Clase, according to the indictment unsealed Sunday by federal prosecutors, started the alleged pitch-rigging scheme as early as May 2023. According to the indictment, he and an unnamed bettor would target specific proposition bets related to an individual pitch. Sometimes, it was whether it would be a ball or strike. Sometimes, it was whether it would be faster or slower than a preset number of miles per hour. Sometimes, they were parlayed together. All of it, prosecutors said, led to more than $400,000 in winnings for the bettors, with Clase receiving kickbacks that amounted to a fraction of the $12 million he has made in his career and the $6.4 million he was set to make in 2026. Clase’s attorney said he “is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Ortiz, whose attorney Sunday also denied his client’s involvement, allegedly joined the scheme this season. On June 15, he threw the first pitch of the second inning of his outing against the Seattle Mariners for a ball. Two bettors had placed a $13,000 wager on the outcome, and Ortiz, whose salary was $782,000, was allegedly paid $5,000 for the pitch and Clase $5,000 for facilitating. They did the same June 27, with the payments $7,000 apiece.
Soon thereafter, IC360, a betting-integrity firm, flagged the Ortiz pitches for irregularities on the amount wagered, sparking an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn and prompting MLB to launch its investigation and place the pair on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave. — Passan
What steps has the MLB taken in the immediate aftermath?
On Monday, MLB announced that its authorized sportsbook partners agreed to place a $200 nationwide betting limit on wagers on individual pitches, such as whether they’ll be a ball or strike and the velocity. Pitch-level wagers also will be prohibited from being included in parlays, in an attempt to disincentivize manipulation schemes. — Purdum
You can bet on the velocity of pitches?
Yes, some sportsbooks have offered over/under betting on the velocity of individual pitches, as well as the result of select pitches being a strike or ball/hit-batsman. These types of wagers are commonly referred to as micro-bets or bets on individual moments within a game. Not all sportsbooks offer them, and betting limits are typically much lower than bets on the winner of a game or the over/under total runs scored, for example. — Purdum
How much money did the alleged bettors win?
According to the indictment, bettors allegedly placed hundreds of bets involving select Clase pitches during the 2023 and 2025 seasons, often including such wagers in parlays to increase payouts. In total, federal prosecutors allege the bettors won $400,000 off bets on Clase pitches and $50,000 on the two Ortiz pitches that were flagged. — Purdum
How did MLB flag these pitches?
A sportsbook operator detected unusual betting interest on first pitches by Ortiz in two June games. According to the alert, the specific pitches were:
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Ortiz’s first pitch of the bottom of the second inning to be a ball or a hit-batsman in a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners.
Ortiz’s first pitch in the top of their inning to be a ball or hit-batsman in a June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
After the second instance, the sportsbook notified Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), a firm that monitors the U.S. betting market for suspicious betting activity. IC360 sent an alert to its clients, which includes Major League Baseball, other sports leagues, sportsbooks and state gaming regulators, warning of the unusual betting interest and asking for more information.
MLB said in a statement that it notified federal authorities at the outset of its investigation into the alleged scheme.
Is pitch rigging, as Clase and Ortiz were flagged for, something that would impact the outcome of a game?
It’s easy to say: It’s just one ball, right? Well, in 2025, after a pitcher started an at-bat with a strike, batters hit .217/.263/.344. At-bats that began with a ball, on the other hand, led to hitters posting a .255/.375/.431 slash line. So, the difference between a single ball or strike accounted for 38 points of batting average, well over 100 points of on-base percentage and nearly 90 points of slug.
Though it’s a much smaller sample for the individuals involved in this case, the difference in on-base percentage particularly is stark. Against Clase in 2025, batters hit .239/.250/.364 after 0-1 counts and .258/.383/.303 after 1-0. For Ortiz, it was .202/.240/.313 after 0-1 and .234/.411/.421 after 1-0. — Passan
What is the status of the pitchers with MLB while the legal proceedings play out?
Clase and Ortiz remain on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave as MLB’s investigation into the alleged pitch rigging remains open. When there is potential criminality involving players, the league typically will not close its investigation or levy discipline until it knows the full scope of law enforcement’s case and evidence.
With the unsealing of the indictment, MLB could proceed with discipline against Clase and Ortiz before a trial. The threshold for the league is simple: If it disciplines someone, does it believe the evidence would be strong enough to hold up at an appeal hearing?
Until MLB reaches that point, the players can remain on leave, which is currently through the beginning of spring training. If, at any point, MLB believes the evidence from its investigation and the government’s can prove that Clase and Ortiz ran afoul of Rule 21, which prevents players from betting on baseball, the league could impose a lifetime ban. The government’s case against Clase and Ortiz does not need to be resolved for MLB to discipline the players.
Last year, MLB handed San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano a lifetime ban after an investigation found he had placed upward of 400 bets on baseball. — Passan
Are there other players or team personnel potentially involved or is the investigation limited to Clase and Ortiz?
In an August statement, the Guardians said: “We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted” by the investigation. That sentiment, sources said, has not changed. — Passan
Are there any connections between the alleged MLB betting scheme and the NBA betting scandal?
Both cases are being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York, but no other connections between the two alleged schemes had been revealed as of Monday. None of the bettors who allegedly participated in the MLB betting scheme were named in the NBA indictment. — Purdum
