Two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians face fraud, conspiracy, and bribery charges for an alleged gambling scheme that included the rigging of pitches to enable gamblers to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. Federal authorities indicted Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. According to ESPN, Ortiz was arrested Sunday morning in Boston and Clase is not in custody. Two Major League Baseball pitchers conspired with sports bettors to rig pitches they threw so the bettors would profit from illegal wagers, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and the FBI announced. Read more: https://t.co/vke4lLpcNm pic.twitter.com/sjBIEhX5OQ — ABC News (@ABC) November 9, 2025 ESPN shared more: Prosecutors at the Eastern District of New York, the Brooklyn-based United States Attorney’s office that levied similar charges against NBA player Terry Rozier and multiple coaches in late October, said in the indictment that Clase arranged with a bettor as early as May 2023 to throw specific pitches for balls so the gambler could place prop bets and profit. Ortiz, prosecutors said, joined the scheme in June 2025, and between the two, gamblers won at least $450,000 wagering on their pitches, while Clase and Ortiz were given kickbacks for their participation. Prosecutors said each pitcher could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for honest services wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for money laundering conspiracy and five years for conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery. Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time Reliever of the Year, and Ortiz were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by Major League Baseball in July after betting-integrity firms flagged irregular wagering on a pair of pitches thrown by Ortiz in June. “”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,” the team said, according to Fox News. “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 MLB said in a statement to ESPN. Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted for rigging bets on pitches in MLB games. Ortiz was allegedly paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15 and Clase paid $5,000 for facilitating it, then did it again two weeks later for $7,000 apiece. pic.twitter.com/p8bS53pSvM — Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 9, 2025 Fox News provided additional info: Clase and Ortiz “conspired with bettors to rig pitches in professional baseball games so that the bettors would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information,” the indictment read. “The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitchers, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches. “In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments – funneled through third parties – in exchange for rigging pitches. Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public and betrayed America’s past time.”