Trial Begins Over Match Manipulation Case Involving Guardians Pitchers

The federal case against former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz began Monday in Brooklyn. According to prosecutors, the two players accepted bribes to alter the speed, location and other specific outcomes of the pitches they threw so that bettors could profit. The trial will determine whether the players deliberately manipulated their performances and whether they did so to influence betting odds.

The two players are being tried on charges of wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to bribe in sporting contests. If they are convicted on all charges, they could face up to 65 years in prison. Both are free on bail and have not yet been convicted of any crime. The players have been kept off the field during the investigation.

Prosecutors cite 18 pitches Clase threw between 2023 and 2025 as the basis of the case. Bettors reportedly won about $27,000 by betting that a particular pitch of Clase's would exceed 94.95 mph. According to the indictment, Clase brought his teammate Ortiz into the scheme in 2025, and bettors won at least $450,000 from bets on pitches thrown by the two players. Not all bets paid off. A bet on a pitch that hit the dirt on its way to Los Angeles Dodgers player Andy Page ended in a loss for the group.

Prosecutors also allege that bettors and players communicated with each other and used coded messages to signal how the next pitch would be thrown. The use of a phone in the bullpen during a game has also raised suspicions. The growing popularity of in-game betting presents a new challenge for leagues and regulators, since manipulation can be limited to a single pitch. The outcome of the case could have significant consequences beyond the careers of the two players.