Cleveland Pitchers Indicted for Betting Scandal

Mon Nov 10 2025 00:41:44 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Major League Baseball players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face serious charges after being indicted for participating in a betting scandal that allowed gamblers insider information on pitch types.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, have been indicted for wire fraud conspiracy and other charges for allegedly taking bribes to inform sports bettors about their pitches. The MLB is cooperating with law enforcement in ongoing investigations into unusually high in-game betting activity involving these players.

NEW YORK (AP) — Two Major League Baseball pitchers were indicted on Sunday on multiple charges related to a betting scandal. Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both players for the Cleveland Guardians, allegedly accepted bribes to provide sports bettors advance notice of the types of pitches they would throw. Reports suggest they may have deliberately thrown balls instead of strikes to fulfill betting criteria.

Both players, 27 and 26 respectively, have been on paid leave since July while MLB investigated unusual betting activities associated with their games. The specific charges against Clase and Ortiz include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.

Ortiz was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport by the FBI and is set to appear in federal court on Monday. The MLB has stated that they contacted federal law enforcement upon noticing the irregular betting patterns and continue to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations.

The Guardians have acknowledged the law enforcement actions and confirmed their commitment to cooperate with MLB and investigators. A lawyer representing Ortiz declined to comment, and messages seeking comments from Clase's legal counsel remain unanswered.