Cleveland Guardians Pitchers Face Serious Gambling Charges
Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were formally indicted on Sunday on charges of accepting bribes from sports bettors. The shocking allegations claim the players deliberately manipulated specific pitches to trigger winning outcomes on in-game proposition bets.
Prosecutors revealed that pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz enabled two unnamed gamblers from the Dominican Republic to win at least $460,000. The scheme involved the pitchers intentionally throwing balls outside the strike zone or ensuring pitch velocities fell within predetermined ranges to satisfy betting conditions.
The Specific Pitches Cited in the Emmanuel Clase Indictment
The indictment against star closer Emmanuel Clase details multiple instances where his on-field actions allegedly corresponded with lucrative bets.
On May 19, 2023, the scheme involved a bet of approximately $27,000 that Clase would throw a pitch faster than 94.95 mph. He began an inning with a 98.5 mph cutter, though his team ultimately lost the game.
On June 3, 2023, bets totalling around $38,000 were placed on a ball or hit-by-pitch and a velocity slower than 94.95 mph. Clase threw an 89.4 mph slider that bounced well short of home plate, hitting his own catcher.
Further instances cited include games on June 7, 2023 (bets of ~$58,000), April 12, 2025 (bets of ~$15,000), and multiple games in May 2025 with bets ranging from $3,500 to $11,000. The conditions typically involved throwing a ball or achieving a specific, often slower, velocity.
In a particularly disturbing detail from May 28, 2025 Reliever Luis Ortiz is also implicated in the scandal. On June 15, 2025, the indictment cites bets of about $13,000 placed on a pitch being a ball. Ortiz's first pitch was an 86.7 mph slider that bounced, and the batter subsequently walked and scored. On June 27, 2025, bets of approximately $18,000 were placed on a ball. Ortiz again threw a first-pitch slider that bounced to the backstop. The batter homered two pitches later. This indictment represents a significant scandal for Major League Baseball, directly challenging the integrity of the sport. The detailed pitch-by-pitch allegations suggest a sophisticated and long-running manipulation operation. Both pitchers, who are from the Dominican Republic, now face serious legal and professional consequences. The Cleveland Guardians organisation has yet to issue a formal statement on the suspensions or future of the players involved. This case is likely to trigger wider investigations into sports betting within professional baseball and lead to stricter regulations and monitoring of in-game prop bets, which have become increasingly popular.Luis Ortiz's Alleged Involvement
Major Implications for MLB and Sports Integrity
