Guardians pitchers Clase and Ortiz plead not guilty; match-fixing trial expected in May or October

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz stand charged with conspiring with sports betting operators to manipulate games, betraying "America's national pastime." Today, both Dominican right-handers entered not guilty pleas to the revised charges. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, who is presiding over the case, indicated the trial is tentatively set for May 4 but could be postponed until October.

In November last year, Clase and Ortiz were accused of accepting thousands of dollars to assist two gamblers from the Dominican Republic in placing over 100 single and parlay bets on specific pitch speeds and outcomes, winning at least $460,000. They face charges including wire fraud and sports bribery, and are considered co-conspirators.

The indictment amended last Friday added details that Clase used coded language such as "rooster" and "chick" when communicating pitching strategies with bookmakers and gamblers. For example, before the May 18 game against the Cincinnati Reds last year, he received a message saying "throw stones at the first rooster to appear in today’s game" and replied, "Sure, throwing to that rooster is easy." However, he did not pitch in that game. On May 17 against the Reds, he violated MLB rules by informing gamblers which pitches would be balls, helping them win about $27,000.

Since July last year, Clase and Ortiz have been on paid leave, though the Guardians organization has stated the reason is not disciplinary. Both missed spring training and left the courthouse separately on Wednesday after winning bail hearings.

Although both are Dominican and close friends who have pleaded not guilty, their legal teams differ in strategy. Ortiz’s lawyer has requested a separate trial for his client and emphasized that if Clase leaked Ortiz’s pitching tactics to gamblers, it was without Ortiz’s knowledge. The attorney also pointed out that Ortiz was suspected in only two pitches over 12 days, whereas Clase has been accused of manipulating pitches since 2023.

“Mr. Clase may have exploited his friendship and teammate relationship with Mr. Ortiz to persuade him to throw specific pitches at certain times,” Ortiz’s legal team wrote in their defense, “to Mr. Ortiz’s knowledge, ostensibly for baseball reasons.” The defense also suggested their strategy might portray Ortiz as “a victim of Mr. Clase’s scheme rather than a knowing and willing participant.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Emmanuel Clase was a three-time All-Star from 2022 to 2024 and led the American League in saves each year. Over six major league seasons, he appeared in 366 games, closing 297 of them, pitching 360 innings with a 21-26 win-loss record, 182 saves, a 1.88 ERA, and a 0.936 WHIP. Before going on paid leave in July last year, he had already recorded 24 saves.

Luis Ortiz, who just turned 27 last month, has four years of major league experience and was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Guardians in December 2024, primarily as a starter. He has appeared in 75 games, pitching 327 innings, with a 16-22 record, one save and one hold, 279 strikeouts, a 4.05 ERA, and a 1.339 WHIP. His salary last year was $782,600, and he is accused of joining Clase’s match-fixing scheme in June.