Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on federal charges related to an alleged gambling scheme, and they are facing lengthy prison sentences if convicted.
Clase and Ortiz have been charged for their alleged roles in a sports betting and money laundering scheme. Ortiz was arrested on Sunday morning in Boston, while Clase was not yet in custody as of Sunday evening. Clase has been accused of intentionally throwing balls and using certain pitch types in coordination with two sports bettors, who used the information to win prop bets on the location and velocity of Clase’s pitches.
The scheme dates back to 2023, and the bettors won at least $450,000 on over 100 bets. Prosecutors say Ortiz joined the scheme in 2025 and that both pitchers received bribes and kickbacks.
Clase and Ortiz are facing several charges related to fraud, conspiracy and bribery. They are facing a total of up to 65 years each in prison if convicted on all charges, prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York say.
Clase and Ortiz are each facing up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for honest services wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for money laundering conspiracy and five years for conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery.
The federal incitement, which was unsealed on Sunday, includes alleged text messages from Clase to one of the bettors in the scheme. In one exchange, Clase confirmed with a bettor before a game that he was going to throw a pitch in the dirt to begin his outing. The scheme backfired in that particular instance, as Los Angeles Dodgers batter Andy Pages swung at a pitch in the dirt. You can see the alleged messages here.
Ortiz was placed on leave in July by Major League Baseball. Clase was placed on leave a few weeks later, and many questionable first pitches were quickly discovered by fans.
