Guardians pitchers accused of trading pitch secrets to bettors

Prosecutors in Brooklyn described two Cleveland Guardians pitchers as cheaters on Wednesday, opening a criminal fraud trial that centers on the intersection of sports betting and professional baseball. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola told the jury that Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz sold their pitches to bettors, generating at least $460,000 in profits for customers wagering on whether individual pitches would be balls or strikes.

According to the government's case, Clase befriended a sports gambler named Enoc Pena in the Dominican Republic in early 2023. The two bonded over dominoes and cockfighting. Urquiola stated that Clase began sharing details about his upcoming pitches, enabling Pena and other bettors to place informed wagers. The prosecutor said Clase later recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025 after seeing the financial gains his friends were making.

Clase, 28, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year. He was completing the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million contract when the conspiracy and fraud charges were made public in November 2025. Ortiz, 27, earned $782,600 as a starter during the 2025 season. Both players have pleaded not guilty and remain on non-disciplinary leave without pay. They were arrested in November 2025 and are currently out on bail.

The prosecutor said text messages and witness testimony would demonstrate the arrangement. She noted that the pitchers used code words like chicken and rooster to describe rigged pitches. Urquiola argued that Clase asked for kickbacks because he wanted more than just to help his friends make money.

Defense attorneys challenged the narrative, arguing that Pena falsely claimed inside access to other gamblers. Michael Bronson, representing Clase, said Pena viewed the pitcher as a target rather than a peer. Bronson noted that Pena placed over 7,000 bets between 2023 and 2025 and had a history of lying. He argued that Pena was actually guessing which pitches Clase would throw and managed to lose more than 200 bets on those pitches.

Bronson questioned why Clase, a superstar with a high profile, would risk his career for a few thousand dollars. Samuel Landes, representing Ortiz, told the jury that his client had no contact with gamblers. Landes stated that only two of Ortiz's pitches, both balls, are at stake in the trial. He asked the jury to consider why Ortiz, who had $1.7 million in advance payments and future earnings, would throw that away for $5,000 in tips.

Landes also pointed out that Pena struck a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison and remain in the United States. Prosecutors announced last week that they did not intend to call Pena to the witness stand, despite his initial listing as a possible witness.