Guardians Pitchers Called Cheaters in Brooklyn Fraud Trial
Prosecutors accuse Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of selling pitch information to bettors, while defense attorneys claim a liar orchestrated the scheme.
By Jack Weber ·
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola told a Brooklyn jury that Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz sold their pitches to sports bettors. She labeled the two men as cheaters during opening statements on Wednesday. The criminal fraud trial has drawn national attention to the financial risks gamblers pose to professional baseball.
Urquiola said Clase befriended a gambler in the Dominican Republic in early 2023. The two men bonded over dominoes and cockfighting. According to the prosecutor, Clase agreed to reveal which pitches he intended to throw in specific games. This allowed bettors to earn at least $460,000 on platforms that wager on balls and strikes.
Clase, 28, was 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 charges became public in November 2025. Ortiz, 27, earned $782,600 as a starter that season. Both pitchers pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and remain on non-disciplinary leave from the Guardians.
Defense attorneys argued that the pitchers were innocent victims of deception. Michael Bronson, representing Clase, said the gambler Enoc Pena viewed his client as a mark rather than a friend. Bronson noted that Pena made over 7,000 bets between 2023 and 2025 and had a history of lying to achieve his goals.
Bronson stated that Pena brought Clase food and picked him up at the airport. In return, Clase gave Pena tickets to games and lent him money. The lawyer claimed Pena guessed which pitches Clase would throw and lost more than 200 bets. Bronson told jurors that Pena was selling lies and asked if Clase would risk his reputation and fortune for a few thousand dollars.
Samuel Landes, attorney for Ortiz, told the jury that his client had no direct contact with gamblers. Landes said only two of Ortiz’s pitches, both balls, were at issue in the trial. He argued that Ortiz received $1.7 million in advance payments and stood to earn millions more, making the alleged $5,000 payout for tips illogical. Landes asked Ortiz to stand and wave to the jury during his statement.
Landes added that Pena struck a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison and remain in the United States. Despite lying to banks and on immigration forms, Pena was listed as a possible witness. Prosecutors said last week that they do not intend to call him to the stand.
