Cleveland Pitchers Indicted as Justice Department’s Illegal Gambling Investigation Hits Baseball

Guardians elief pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz indicted on charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery for alleged “pitch rigging”

A pair of Cleveland Guardians pitchers were indicted Sunday as part of the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into pro sports and illegal gambling.

Relief pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both of whom were suspended by Major League Baseball this past season as the league investigated accusations of pitch rigging, were indicted on charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery, federal prosecutors announced Sunday. Ortiz was arrested Sunday, while Clase is not yet in custody.

According to the indictment, both Clase and Ortiz are accused of “pitch rigging” in order to allow gamblers to successfully place prop bets on whether the pitchers would throw a ball or a strike. Prosecutors claim Clase — a three-time All-Star and two-time Reliever of the Year — had engaged in the practice of pitch-rigging since at least May 2023, with Ortiz joining the scheme in June 2025.

Gamblers won at least $450,000 from the pitchers’ rigging — they’d often throw balls as their first pitch — with both Clase and Ortiz allegedly receiving thousands of dollars in kickbacks, the Justice Department said. (At the time of his suspension, Clase was under contract that guaranteed him at least $38 million in earnings.)

In one instance, according to the Justice Department and pinpointed by Pablo Torre, Clase threw a clear ball that was swung at by the batter, resulting in a strike and, later, a text exchange between the pitcher and one of the orchestrators of the pitch rigging scheme who ultimately lost that bet:

At one point, per the indictment, Clase tried to throw a ball but the batter swung — resulting in a strike.

“Bettor-I” allegedly texted Clase a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase replied with a GIF of a “sad puppy dog face.” (The Guardians won the game.) pic.twitter.com/BN1wLkGVKK

— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) November 9, 2025

The MLB were notified of the wagering irregularities this past summer by betting-integrity firms and placed both pitchers on non-disciplinary leave pending an investigation.

“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the MLB said in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”

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If convicted, both Clase and Ortiz could face over 60 years in prison, as well as a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball.

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“The defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services,” Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, said in a statement. “They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime. Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us.”

The indictment comes just weeks after the Justice Department arrested three former and current NBA players — including the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, the Hall of Fame coach of the Portland Trail Blazers — for their roles in a pair of “sports rigging operations”; Rozier was similarly accused of manipulating prop bets to gamblers’ favor, while Billups was charged for his alleged participation in an illegal high-stakes poker game with organized crime ties.