Guardians pitchers accused of selling pitch info

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola told a Brooklyn jury that two Cleveland Guardians pitchers are cheaters who sold their pitches to sports bettors.

The opening statements in the criminal fraud trial described how Emmanuel Clase, the former closer, befriended a gambler in the Dominican Republic in early 2023. The two shared interests in dominoes and cockfighting. Clase eventually agreed to tell the man which pitches he would throw in specific games. This information allowed gamblers to win at least $460,000 on platforms that let customers bet on whether a pitch would be a ball or a strike. Urquiola stated that Clase and Luis Ortiz, a starting pitcher, are cheaters who sold their pitches.

Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. They are on non-disciplinary leave from the Guardians without pay while facing prosecution. The pitchers were arrested in November 2025 and have been free on bail since then. Prosecutors say Clase began sharing pitch information with bettors in 2023 and recruited Ortiz in 2025. Clase, 28, is a three-time All-Star who had completed the fourth season of a five-year, $20 million contract when the charges became public. Ortiz, 27, earned $782,600 as a starter for the Guardians during the 2025 season. Urquiola claimed that Clase saw gamblers profiting from his pitches and decided it was not enough to just help friends make money, so he asked for kickbacks.

Defense attorneys argued that their clients are innocent. They said a gambler named Enoc Pena falsely claimed to other bettors that he had inside information from Clase. Michael Bronson, Clase's lawyer, described his client as a standout who attended school until age 15 in a small coastal village in the Dominican Republic before focusing on baseball. Bronson said Clase was 25 in the spring of 2023 when he met Pena, a 41-year-old gambler who placed over 7,000 bets from 2023 to 2025. The lawyer said Pena viewed Clase as a mark rather than a peer. Pena brought Clase food and picked him up at the airport. In return, Clase gave him game tickets and loaned him money. Bronson stated that Pena guessed which pitches Clase would throw and lost over 200 bets with fellow gamblers while selling lies. He urged jurors to consider if Clase would risk his fortune and lifelong dream over a few thousand dollars.

Samuel Landes, representing Ortiz, told the jury that his client had no contact with gamblers. He noted that only two of Ortiz's pitches, both balls, are at stake in the trial. Landes asked his client to stand and wave to the jury during the opening statement. He said Ortiz was victimized by Pena's lies, including allegations that the pitcher accepted $5,000 for tips. Landes asked why Ortiz would throw away millions in future contracts for $5,000. He added that Ortiz had received $1.7 million in advance for future contracts. Landes said Pena struck a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison and remain in the U.S. despite lying to banks and on immigration forms. Although Pena was once listed as a possible witness, prosecutors said last week that they do not intend to put him on the stand.

The trial is scheduled to continue with witness testimony later this month in the Brooklyn federal courthouse.