Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have accused Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of providing bettors with advance information about selected pitches and agreeing to throw them in specified ways, allowing wagers on individual pitch outcomes.
The indictment alleges that Clase participated from about May 2023 through June 2025, generally arranging to throw balls rather than strikes and slower sliders rather than cutters, often on the first pitch after entering as a reliever. It says Ortiz joined the alleged scheme in June 2025 in exchange for money.
Prosecutors allege bettors made more than 100 fraudulent straight and parlay bets on pitch speed and ball-or-hit-by-pitch markets with Clase’s knowledge and approval. The bettors allegedly won at least $450,000 on pitches thrown by the two players. In some cases, the indictment says, payments to the pitchers were routed through third parties as bribes or kickbacks.
The alleged conduct extended to approximately 18 pitches by Clase and two by Ortiz, according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. Separate reporting on the indictment said 18 of Clase’s alleged fixed pitches occurred across 17 games between 2023 and 2025, including a postseason game in the 2024 American League Division Series.
The charging document describes wagers offered by sportsbooks on outcomes including whether a pitch exceeded 94.95 mph. It alleges that bettors used advance knowledge of pitch type, speed or location to place bets that platform terms barred users from making with non-public information or through proxies. A May 2023 wager on a Clase pitch against the Mets allegedly produced about $27,000 in winnings; a June 2023 bet against Minnesota allegedly returned about $38,000.
Prosecutors also allege Clase used a mobile phone during Guardians games to coordinate with a bettor, contrary to MLB rules, and met the bettor at his Ohio home. MLB Rule 21 provides for permanent ineligibility for a player who bets on a baseball game in which he has a duty to perform. MLB policy also bars players from having others bet on their behalf, benefiting financially from bets, or knowingly assisting bets by others.
MLB opened investigations and sought information from both pitchers by July 2, 2025. Ortiz was placed on leave the following day and Clase on July 28, according to a later government memorandum. A grand jury returned the original four-count indictment on Nov. 5, 2025, alleging wire-fraud, honest-services wire-fraud, sports-bribery and money-laundering conspiracies. A five-count superseding indictment on Feb. 12 added Robinson Vasquez Germosen and a sealed defendant to the wire-fraud conspiracy count.
Both pitchers pleaded not guilty in November 2025. Bond was set at $500,000 for Ortiz and $600,000 for Clase.
