MLB pitchers indicted for gambling scheme

Federal authorities have indicted two Major League Baseball pitchers on charges related to an alleged gambling scheme concocted to rig betting on this season’s games.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz and All-Star pitcher Emmanuel Clase were targets of the investigation and both face charges in connection with the alleged scheme. Ortiz was reportedly arrested in Boston earlier Sunday, while Clase has not yet been taken into custody.

The pitchers face charges of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to corruptly influence sports competitions and money laundering. Both pitchers come from the Dominican Republic.

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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling investigation on November 9, 2025. (IMAGINE)

“We are aware of recent actions taken by law enforcement. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” the team said.

MLB placed Ortiz and Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave due to an investigation into gambling on July 3. When Fox News Digital requested an update on the investigation on October 22, MLB directed Fox News Digital to an August statement.

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

Clase and Ortiz “conspired with bettors to rig pitches at professional baseball games so that bettors would profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information,” the indictment states. “Defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitchers, and their co-conspirators used this inside information to place bets on these pitches.

“In some cases, defendants received bribes and kickbacks – routed through third parties – in exchange for rigging. Through this scheme, defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s past.”

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)

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Officials said in the indictment that from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with a co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so that bettors they allegedly associated with would “profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information.” Ortiz would have joined the program in June 2025.

The indictment says Clase spoke with a punter who threw a ball on the first pitch of an at-bat when he was brought to games in relief. The indictment alleged instances that occurred during subsequent games, including May 19, 2023 against the New York Mets, June 2, 2023 against the Minnesota Twins, and June 7, 2023 against the Boston Red Sox.

Clase allegedly began demanding and receiving bribes and kickbacks for agreeing to pitch specific plots of land in April, according to the indictment. In one case, the indictment says Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a punter on a pitch he would throw.

Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians pitches the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Cleveland on April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)

Punters have reportedly won $400,000 on Clase-launched pitcher betting platforms between 2023 and 2025.

When Ortiz allegedly joined the system, the indictment said he agreed to throw balls on strikes on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks. He reportedly agreed to throw a pitch on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners for about $5,000 on his first pitch in the second inning.

The indictment says Ortiz agreed to throw a ball on his first pitch of the third inning on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals for $7,000.

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As of June 2025, bettors have won at least $60,000 on pitches thrown by Ortiz.

The announcement of the indictment came weeks after three NBA figures were implicated in an FBI operation involving illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among the more than two dozen arrested in the operation.

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