The trial for former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz has begun in federal court in Brooklyn, with jury selection commencing on Monday. Prosecutors accuse the two pitchers of participating in a pitch-rigging scheme that benefited gamblers and themselves, potentially leading to maximum sentences of 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Clase, a three-time All-Star closer, and Ortiz, a former starting pitcher, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The government alleges that Clase tipped off bettors about his intended pitches, which were often thrown outside the strike zone or at predetermined speeds, to facilitate winning bets. Prosecutors have focused on 18 pitches between 2023 and 2025 as evidence, citing one instance where bettors allegedly won approximately $27,000 on a wager about a Clase pitch speed.
According to the indictment, Clase recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025, and the two reportedly allowed bettors to win at least $450,000. The indictment notes that bettors placed more than a hundred straight bets and parlays on Clase's pitches, though one bet involving a pitch in the dirt resulted in a betting loss.
Potential witnesses include Guardians executives like general manager Mike Chernoff, pitching coach Carl Willis, and catchers Austin Hedges, Mike Zunino, and Bo Naylor.
Prosecutors assert that Clase used coded language such as "rooster" and "chicken" in communications with bettors. However, defense attorneys for Clase have argued that these texts were related to cockfighting, which is legal in their native Dominican Republic. They also contend that there were legitimate baseball reasons for Clase to throw pitches outside the strike zone and that the bets placed were within normal ranges.
Clase was an accomplished relief pitcher with a 1.88 ERA and 182 saves over six seasons, five with Cleveland. Ortiz was less accomplished and had attempted to have his case severed from Clase's, with his legal team suggesting he was a "victim of Clase's scheme."
In a pretrial ruling, Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto disallowed prosecutors from presenting evidence of Clase's $500,000 U.S. tax debt, citing a late submission of the evidence. Prosecutors had sought to introduce this to counter arguments that Clase lacked financial incentive to collude.
Major League Baseball and the Guardians have stated their full cooperation with authorities. MLB has indicated it contacted federal law enforcement upon discovering unusual betting activity. Following the indictment, MLB implemented a $200 cap on micro-betting for pitch-level markets and excluded such prop bets from parlays.