Major League Baseball has announced that its approved sports betting partners will set a maximum wager of $200 US for individual pitch bets and will exclude them from combination bets, following the recent indictment of two Cleveland Guardians players for allegedly manipulating pitches for gamblers. The league stated on Monday that the decision to impose limits on pitch-level bets was supported by sportsbook operators representing over 98 percent of the U.S. betting market. MLB emphasized that bets on specific pitch outcomes, such as velocity and balls/strikes, pose significant integrity risks as they rely on isolated events that could be influenced by a single player and might not impact the game’s overall result.
“The introduction of a strict betting cap on these types of wagers, along with the prohibition of parlaying them, reduces the potential payout and deters attempts to bypass the new limit,” MLB explained in a statement. Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were formally charged in a Brooklyn court with allegations of accepting bribes from bettors to alter their pitching strategies. The charges against them include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to impact sports contests through bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Ortiz’s attorney, Chris Georgalis, asserted his client’s innocence, stating that Ortiz has never engaged in any improper conduct to influence game outcomes. Similarly, Clase’s lawyer, Michael J. Ferrara, maintained Clase’s innocence, highlighting his commitment to baseball and winning games. The Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling invalidating the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 paved the way for states to legalize sports betting.
Ortiz appeared in a federal court in Boston on the recent charges, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell granted his release under strict conditions, including surrendering his passport, limiting travel to the Northeast, posting a $500,000 US bond (with $50,000 secured), and refraining from contact with potential case-related individuals. The indictment revealed that Ortiz and Clase allegedly accepted bribes to assist undisclosed gamblers in their home country in winning substantial amounts through bets placed on specific pitches, including those intentionally thrown off-target.
Both Clase and Ortiz have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, initiated by MLB’s investigation into unusual betting activities during their games. Ortiz, 26, was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport, while Clase, 27, is believed to be out of the country, as per an anonymous law enforcement official. MLB alerted federal authorities upon detecting suspicious betting patterns and has cooperated fully with the ongoing investigations. The Guardians expressed their cooperation with law enforcement and MLB in dealing with the situation.
In a notable incident mentioned in the indictment, Clase reportedly communicated with a bettor before a game against the Boston Red Sox in April, resulting in a successful wager on a specific pitch speed. Clase, a highly regarded pitcher, allegedly shared pitching details with the bettors starting in 2023, escalating to accepting payoffs this year. Ortiz, with a relatively lower salary, is accused of manipulating pitches in games against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals. These developments mark the latest enforcement actions against illicit betting practices in professional sports, following a recent crackdown in the NBA involving several high-profile figures.
