Two Cleveland Guardians Pitchers Indicted Over Betting Scandal

The MLB is stealing the NBA's spotlight in the worst way possible.

The US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York has indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase over the weekend. The former was taken into custody in Massachusetts, while the latter currently remains free. 

The pair of pitchers is accused of spot-fixing player prop bets based on their stats. This included micro-betting, where bettors can wager on a single pitch of a game. 

Three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase is accused of starting to spot-fix in May 2023. He worked with a group of co-conspirators to share which pitches he was planning to throw for a ball. These pitches were well outside the strike zone, ensuring a foul ball or bad strike call won’t ruin the bet. While this helped bettors win over $400,000, it appears those bad pitches made it easier for investigators to prove Clase’s involvement.

Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz joined Clase in June 2025, shortly before federal investigators began looking into the scheme. The indictment alleges that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing a ball on a particular pitch. Clase was also paid $5,000 for helping to arrange the deal. This led to around $60,000 in winnings for their co-conspirators. 

Both pitchers now face up to 60 years in federal prison.

Feds Look to Send Strong Message

News broke around an investigation into the two Guardians pitchers over the summer, along with allegations against some NBA players. Months passed, and many assumed the government was struggling to prove the conspiracies, but those doubts have been erased over the last two weeks.

With a slew of arrests involving NBA and MLB betting schemes, investigators appear to have enough evidence to prove their charges. This sends a strong message to athletes across sports who may believe spot-fixing is a (mostly) victimless crime. With up to 60 years of prison time possible, many will think twice before agreeing to participate in similar betting schemes.

However, it will be crucial for the government to get convictions against the players involved. Filing an indictment is one thing, but proving accusations to a jury is quite another. If they fail to secure convictions in most of the arrests, it would send a bad message to athletes and coaches, as well as to fans concerned about the integrity of US sports.