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Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are scheduled to face trial Monday in Brooklyn over alleged pitch rigging. Federal prosecutors accuse them of deliberately manipulating pitches and alerting bettors so their wagers would win.
According to InGame, jury selection is scheduled at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The trial is expected to last about 18 days.
Prosecutors Outline Alleged Pitch-Rigging Payments by Clase, Ortiz
Prosecutors allege Clase threw pre-planned pitches from May 2023 through May 2025. Ortiz is accused of rigging two pitches in separate games in June 2025.
The government plans to focus on 18 Clase pitches across 17 games. Court documents say prosecutors believe his alleged conduct extended to more than 45 games.
Bettors allegedly made more than $450,000 over the scheme’s lifetime. Prosecutors say Clase received between $5,000 and $7,000 per rigged pitch and also bet on some of his own pitches. Ortiz allegedly received $12,000 for his two pitches.
Two other defendants, Robinson Vasquez Germosen and Luis Arismendy, allegedly served as intermediaries between the players and bettors. Arismendy was extradited from the Dominican Republic after his indictment was unsealed.
The listed charges include wire fraud conspiracy and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. They also include conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering. InGame reports a maximum possible sentence of 65 years if convicted on all charges.
Defense Disputes Betting Evidence and Text Messages
Prosecutors have video of the pitches and text messages they describe as coded communications. The defense disputes that the betting activity was suspicious.
Clase’s lawyers say some messages concerned cockfighting rather than baseball. Those messages included references to “chicken” and “rooster,” according to court documents cited by InGame.
Ortiz plans to argue he was a victim and did not provide information to bettors as Clase allegedly did.
Both pitchers were indicted in November 2025 and are out on bond. Neither played during the 2026 season. MLB has an open investigation into each player.
Guardians Personnel Among Potential Witnesses
Potential witnesses include Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff and assistant general manager Matt Forman. Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges and Mike Zunino also appear on the potential witness list.
The judge denied both defendants’ requests for separate trials. Ortiz’s request for more time before trial was also denied.
Potential jurors will be questioned about baseball, betting, cockfighting and Dominican Republic culture. The planned questions also cover baseball strategy and major sports betting platforms.
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Source: As reported by InGame.
