Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face allegations of receiving bribes from sports bettors to manipulate their pitching, deliberately throwing inaccurate pitches to influence specific betting outcomes. The accusations, revealed in a federal court indictment in Brooklyn, suggest that Clase and Ortiz collaborated with bettors from the Dominican Republic to help them win prop bets related to pitch speed and results by intentionally delivering slower pitches outside the strike zone.
Both players have been on paid leave without disciplinary action since July while Major League Baseball probed the unusually high level of in-game betting activity during their appearances. Ortiz, aged 26, was apprehended by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. Clase, aged 27, remains at large according to authorities.
Legal representatives for Ortiz and Clase have refrained from providing comments to the media. The charges leveled against the two pitchers encompass wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
These developments involving Clase and Ortiz mark the latest revelations in a government crackdown on sports betting malpractices. Betting scandals have been a perennial concern for professional sports leagues, but a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision in May 2018 catalyzed a surge in gambling incidents involving athletes and officials. The ruling invalidated a federal law prohibiting sports betting in most states, paving the way for online sportsbooks to gain prominence in the sports landscape.
In a separate incident last month, over 30 individuals, including notable basketball personalities like Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling probe that shook the NBA.
Major League Baseball has been in close contact with federal law enforcement throughout its investigation into the irregular betting patterns and has pledged full cooperation with authorities. The Guardians, in response to the legal actions, affirmed their commitment to collaborating with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as investigations progress.
