Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on charges related to a gambling scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in Major League Baseball games, ESPN‘s Jeff Passan reported on Sunday (November 9).
“BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on a host of charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier today. Clase is not currently in custody,” Passan wrote on his X account. “The 23-page indictment against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz lays out the alleged scheme for the pitchers to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on pitches to be balls or strikes. It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz.”
Ortiz is accused of allegedly being paid $5,000 to throw an intentional ball on June 15, while Clase was allegedly paid $5,000 for facilitating it. The two allegedly repeated the incident again on June 27, with each being paid $7,000. MLB officials issued a statement to Passan confirming they were aware of the situation and working with federal law enforcement.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing,” the league said via Passan.
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