MLB Pitcher Luis Ortiz Released on $500,000 Bail in Gambling Investigation
Boston red Sox pitcher Luis Ortiz was released on a $500,000 bond Sunday after being arrested by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport, accused of participating in a scheme to influence baseball games through illegal gambling. Fellow pitcher Emmanuel Clase, currently believed to be outside the US, is also facing charges in the case.
Both Ortiz, 26, and Clase, 27, had been on non-disciplinary paid leave sence July, when Major League Baseball began investigating unusually high in-game betting activity related to their pitching performances.
According to an indictment, Ortiz and clase are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The most serious charges carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Clase began providing bettors with information about his pitches in 2023, requesting payoffs starting this year. In one instance cited in the indictment,Clase allegedly spoke with a bettor by phone just before pitching against the Boston Red Sox in April. Four minutes later, the bettor and associates reportedly won $11,000 on a wager that Clase would throw a pitch slower than 97.95 mph.
Ortiz, who earns a salary of $782,600, is accused of joining the scheme in June and rigging pitches in games against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals.
“Ortiz and Clase betrayed America’s pastime,” US attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated on Sunday. “Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not onyl to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us.”
Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, maintains his client’s innocence. “He has never, and would never, improperly influence a game – not for anyone and not for anything,” Georgalis said in a statement.He added that Ortiz’s defence team had previously informed prosecutors that payments and money transfers between Ortiz and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for legal purposes.
MLB stated it contacted federal law enforcement upon discovering the unusual betting activity and has fully cooperated with the investigation, wich remains ongoing. The Cleveland Guardians, Clase’s team, also affirmed their full cooperation with both law enforcement and the league.
Clase, a two-time American League Reliever of the Year, is under contract for $20 million over five years, earning $4.5 million in 2025.
The charges against Ortiz and Clase are part of a broader federal crackdown on betting in professional sports,following last month’s arrest of over 30 individuals,including NBA figures like Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier,in a separate gambling sweep.
