Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Klass and starter Luis Ortiz face federal charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy for allegedly intentionally throwing balls out of the strike zone so players could correctly bet on whether pitches would be balls or strikes.
The 23-page indictment, filed in the Eastern District of New York and unsealed Sunday, describes several incidents, including one this season involving Dodgers.
For game in Cleveland On May 28, the indictment says Claeys threw a pitch that was supposed to be a ball, but the Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages swung and missed, resulting in a hit. Claeys left the team to make his 11th save of the season in Cleveland's 7–4 win.
About 20 minutes later, the indictment says “Bettor 1” sent Klaz a message with a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clays allegedly responded to “Bettor-1” with a GIF of a sad puppy face.
The indictment says that from 2023 to 2025, bettors “won at least $400,000 on betting platforms on fields abandoned” by Claeys.
According to the indictment, Ortiz joined the scheme in 2025: “Ortiz agreed to throw balls (instead of strikes) on certain courses in exchange for bribes or kickbacks.” Claeys allegedly acted as an intermediary between the bettors and Ortiz.
The indictment says the alleged scheme began as early as May 2023 with Clayes intentionally throwing balls out of the strike zone so gamblers could win offered bets.
IN announcing the indictment, American lawyer. Joseph Nocella Jr. said professional athletes enjoy trust – with their teammates, leagues and fans.
“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to the players by installing the courts,” Nocella said. “In doing so, defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms on which bets were placed. And they betrayed America's pastime.”
When Claeys slammed the ball into the dirt after colliding with Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals during a game in April, prosecutors say Claeys was thinking about something other than getting Witt out. According to the indictment, he was thinking about “renovating a country house.”
“Defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators that they would throw certain types and speeds of pitches, and their co-defendants used this inside information to place bets on those pitches,” wrote assistant U.S. attorney Atty. David Pitlak in the indictment. “In some cases, the defendants received bribes and kickbacks – through third parties – in exchange for the falsifications.”
Clays, 27, is one of the best players in baseball. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic led the American League in saves in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has a career EAA of 1.88 with 182 saves.
In April 2022, Claeys signed a five-year, $20 million contract that included a $2 million signing bonus. The deal also includes $10 million in club options for 2027 and 2028.
Ortiz, also from the Dominican Republic, was traded to the Guardians ahead of the 2025 season after spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. ESPN reported that betting integrity company IC360 sent alerts to sportsbook operators about two shots Ortiz made in June.
The first came when Ortiz stuck a slider in the dirt to open the second inning against the Seattle Mariners. The second came when Ortiz opened the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals with a slider that bounced off point blank.
Both pitchers were placed on non-disciplinary leave with pay in July when MLB began an investigation and were placed on the restricted list following the end of the regular season. The Ohio Casino Control Commission has also launched an investigation.
If convicted on all charges, the pitchers face up to 65 years in prison. Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday morning. Clays has not yet been arrested.
MLB has a rule that prohibits players from betting on any game in which they are participating. Violation of this rule disqualifies the player from playing professional baseball.
MLB's investigation is ongoing. The league said Sunday it contacted federal investigators early in the investigation and was aware of the indictment, which was replete with descriptions of specific schemes between the two pitchers and players.
The indictment alleges that Claeys frequently texted players after games to confirm that bets had been placed. After a game against the Royals in April, Claeys asked the player to send the money he won to the Dominican Republic, saying it was “to renovate a country house.”
The indictment also alleges that Clase used his cellphone during games, in violation of MLB rules, to report the scheme. During a May 17 game against the Cincinnati Reds, Claeys texted Bettor-1 asking if he was “ready,” prosecutors said.
Player 1 replied, “Of course.”
Ten minutes later, according to the indictment, numerous gamblers won approximately $10,000 by betting that a pitch thrown by Claeys would be a ball or hit a batter and that the velocity would be slower than 97.95 mph.
Betting on a specific event or individual performance in a game, which does not necessarily depend on the final score, is becoming increasingly popular. Called proposition bets, they allow players to focus on often mysterious statistical achievements or strange events.
But prop betting poses new challenges for authorities investigating illegal betting. NBA player Terry Rozier gave a friend inside information about his planned early retirement from the game in March 2023, according to a federal indictment unsealed in October. A friend bet that Rozier would be statistically inferior.
The information was sold for approximately $100,000 to players who placed more than $200,000 in bets. Rozier was arrested on a sweeping indictment.
