Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz head to Brooklyn trial over pitch-by-pitch fraud charges

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both former Cleveland Guardians pitchers from the Dominican Republic, go on trial Monday in federal court in Brooklyn on allegations that they took bribes to help bettors win prop bets on individual pitches. The case matters to high-risk payments and betting operators because the indictment ties player conduct directly to betting outcomes, with alleged winnings of at least 460.000 dollars and payments of several thousand dollars routed through the scheme.

1. Prosecutors say Clase, a former Guardians closer, and Ortiz, a starter, conspired with bettors who won hundreds of thousands of dollars by betting on the speed and outcome of specific pitches. According to the indictment, the pitchers accepted several thousand dollars in illegal payments to help two bettors from the Dominican Republic win at least 460.000 dollars in proposition bets.
2. The government alleges Clase began feeding bettors information about his pitches in 2023 and later recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025. Both men have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and remain on non-disciplinary leave from the club without pay while their fate is decided.
3. The trial is expected to last about a month in federal court in Brooklyn, with jurors hearing from several professional baseball figures, including catchers and league executives. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto said on Friday that jury selection should move quickly enough for brief opening statements later the same day.
4. Clase, 28, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year. He had completed the fourth season of a five-year, 20 million dollars contract when the charges were made public in November 2025. Ortiz, 27, earned 782.600 dollars as a Guardians starter during the 2025 season.
5. The defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. Defense lawyers are expected to argue that the pitchers were not coordinating with bettors and were instead varying pitch location strategically to fool hitters.

One evidentiary wrinkle is already in place: the judge ruled that prosecutors cannot show jurors evidence that Clase owed 500.000 dollars in U.S. taxes, because the defense received it only days before trial, long after the disclosure deadline. The government had wanted to use that material to answer any claim that Clase had no reason to conspire because he had several million dollars.