Cleveland Guardians Pitchers Indicted in Gambling Scandal Over Rigged Pitches

Two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, have been charged with federal crimes related to a sports betting and money laundering scheme that allegedly involved rigging individual pitches during Major League Baseball (MLB) games. The charges were announced on Sunday by federal prosecutors, marking the latest scandal in a growing issue of gambling infiltrating professional sports.

According to the indictment, the scheme began in May 2023 with Clase and later involved Ortiz in June 2025. Prosecutors allege that the two players received bribes in exchange for providing advance information to gamblers, who used that insider knowledge to place fraudulent bets on specific pitches. These bets included wagers on pitch speeds, whether a pitch would be a ball or a strike, and other specific details of the game.

For example, before a game on June 27th, 2025, bettors allegedly paid Ortiz $7,000 to throw a rigged pitch, and paid Clase the same amount to arrange it. Clase took out $50,000 in cash to help facilitate the bet, giving $15,000 to a co-conspirator to place the bet. Prosecutors say the rigged pitches helped bettors win at least $450,000. The charges against both players include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison.

In response to the charges, MLB placed both players on non-disciplinary paid leave earlier this year while it conducted its own investigation into the matter. The league said it was fully cooperating with federal authorities and that its investigation is ongoing.

The Cleveland Guardians also issued a statement, acknowledging the legal action and vowing to continue cooperating with both law enforcement and MLB. “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” the team said.

Luis Ortiz's lawyer, Chris Georgalis, strongly denied the charges, saying, “Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government’s case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself, and he will prevail.” Ortiz's defense also argued that the payments he received were for lawful activities, not related to any game manipulation. Similarly, Emmanuel Clase's attorney emphasized that his client had dedicated his life to baseball and denied any wrongdoing, with lawyer Michael J. Ferrara stating that Clase was "innocent of all charges."

The allegations have rocked the baseball community, as this scandal follows a wave of similar gambling-related issues in professional sports. A month ago, the FBI announced arrests tied to a different sports betting scheme involving NBA players and members of New York crime families. The Clase and Ortiz case is one of the most high-profile to hit MLB since the Pete Rose betting scandal of the late 1980s, and it underscores the growing concerns about the impact of legalized gambling on the integrity of sports.

As the investigation continues, MLB officials are facing tough questions about how gambling has increasingly seeped into the world of professional sports. With sports betting becoming more widespread, players and leagues alike are grappling with how to protect the integrity of the games.