Fraud trial begins for Cleveland Guardians pitchers, including star reliever

NEW YORK — Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz went on trial Monday on charges that they accepted bribes as they colluded with gamblers who made hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on individual pitches. Their careers and possibly their freedom are at stake in the jury trial in Brooklyn federal court. Jury selection got underway after the players arrived in court in the morning. Several professional baseball players, including catchers and baseball executives, are among witnesses expected to testify at a monthlong trial. Clase, the Guardians’ former closer, and Ortiz, a starter, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and are on non-disciplinary leave from the club without pay while their fate is determined. According to an indictment, the pitchers accepted several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches. Prosecutors allege that Clase began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023 and recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025. Lawyers for Ortiz unsuccessfully sought to have Ortiz tried separately from Clase. Clase, 28, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year who had...