Prosecutors called Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz “cheaters” during opening statements of a federal trial regarding an illegal gambling ring on Wednesday.
Clase and Ortiz are accused of fixing their performances to help known sports bettors win prop bets. It's one of the latest incidents involving athletes and betting on sports.
- Clase is accused of rigging pitches over a two-year span, during which he was an All-Star.
- Defense attorneys said a bettor made Clase a “mark.”
- Ortiz’s attorney said a witness was “bought and paid for” by the government.
Clase and Ortiz are on trial for charges of conspiracy to commit wire and honest services fraud, sports bribery, and money laundering.
A defense attorney for Clase said an individual named Enoc Pena – whom they described as a “gambling addict” and a “serial liar” – deceived Clase while betting on him and Ortiz, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors didn’t buy the claim.
Clase, a 28-year-old three-time All-Star, is accused of manipulating at least 18 pitches from May 2023 through May 2025. He is said to have intentionally thrown balls in certain spots during a game and tipped off bettors that he would throw an off-speed pitch. These actions created openings for individuals to profit with micro-bets, or quick-fire wagers within an MLB game.
Ortiz is alleged to have fixed two pitches in games against the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals in June 2025.
“They sold their pitches,” Rebecca Urquiola, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, told the jury.
Michael Bronson, an attorney for Clase, disputed the claim. He said that Pena falsely told his associates that he had inside information about the speed and result of particular pitches.
Bronson also told the jury that Clase considered Pena a friend, but Pena used that perception to turn Clase into a “mark.” Ortiz’s defense called Pena a “bought and paid for” cooperating witness for the government while noting that Ortiz never communicated with any of the alleged conspirators.
Pena is not expected to testify.
Clase, Ortiz deny misconduct
The MLB strictly forbids players betting on baseball games and sharing sensitive information with sports bettors. Paul Mifsud, a MLB senior vice president and head of baseball operations counsel, testified that communicating with gamblers about fixing specific pitches would violate a clause in all MLB player contracts.
During cross-examination, Ortiz’s legal team used scouting reports on Ortiz’s opponents to show that supposedly “rigged” pitches were based on strategy, not gambling.
Joel Trella, director of DraftKings' special investigations unit, also testified on Wednesday. He revealed the details of his company’s investigation into multiple accounts that bet on Clase’s pitches and were believed to be involved in the sports betting scandal.
One of those individuals was Robinson Vásquez, a co-defendant in the case, whose attorney said that his client only wanted to form a friendship with Clase.
“Four words: big talk, small bets,” Todd Spodek said, while claiming that Vásquez won “maybe $3,000” betting on Clase.
Clase and Ortiz have consistently denied wrongdoing in the case.
One man who was previously investigated and was believed to have been involved in the scandal told investigators that he only traded messages with Clase about cockfighting not sports betting, according to the New York Times. The individual also said he won money betting on Clase because, as his friend, he was familiar with his tendencies.
Clase has earned $15.4 million in MLB contracts and has one year remaining on a five-year, $20-million deal. Ortiz has made $2.2 million in his career.
