Trial of two MLB pitchers begins in New York over betting case — Al Jazeera

On Monday, proceedings begin in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, against former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. They are accused of accepting bribes and conspiring with people who placed bets and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars by predicting the parameters of individual pitches in Major League Baseball games.

Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty. Both are on non-disciplinary paid leave from the club pending the conclusion of the proceedings.

Allegations over bets on pitches

As Al Jazeera reports, according to the indictment, the pitchers received thousands of dollars in payments for helping two bettors from the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000. Bets were placed on the speed and outcome of certain pitches during games.

Prosecutors claim that Clase began passing information about his pitches to bettors in 2023 and involved Ortiz in the scheme in 2025. Ortiz's defense sought to have his case tried separately, but the motion was denied.

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Defense position and course of proceedings

The pitchers are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests through bribery.

Lawyers are expected to argue that the athletes did not act in coordination with bettors and changed pitch placement for tactical reasons, to make things more difficult for batters. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto expressed hope of quickly completing jury selection so the parties could deliver opening statements that same day.

On Friday, the judge also barred prosecutors from showing jurors evidence that Clase owed $500,000 in U.S. taxes. The reason was that the defense received these materials only a few days earlier, after the deadline for disclosure of evidence. MLB and the Cleveland Guardians said they were fully cooperating with the investigation; the league said it contacted federal law enforcement after detecting unusual betting activity.