Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, on a host of charges related to an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games.
Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier Sunday and is expected to appear in federal court on Monday. Clase is not in custody.
The 23-page indictment filed against Clase and Ortiz in the Eastern District of New York lays out the alleged scheme involving balls thrown intentionally outside the strike zone so that bettors could wager correctly on pitches to be balls or strikes. It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz.
They face charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery.
In a statement to ESPN, Major League Baseball said: “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.”
A lawyer for Ortiz declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press and a lawyer for Clase did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
In a statement, the Guardians said: “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action, We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”
Prosecutors allege that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15 and Clase given $5,000 for facilitating it. They did it again, according to the indictment, June 27. The payment for each on that pitch was $7,000 apiece.
Clase and Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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