Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz were called "cheaters" by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola during opening statements Wednesday in a federal criminal fraud trial in Brooklyn.
Urquiola told jurors the pitchers "sold their pitches" to gamblers, enabling at least $460,000 in winnings on platforms that allow betting on whether a pitch will be a ball or strike. She said Clase began sharing pitch information in early 2023 after meeting Dominican Republic gambler Enoc Pena — who placed over 7,000 bets from 2023 to 2025 — and later brought Ortiz into the arrangement in 2025.
TOP NEWS
Both pitchers have entered not guilty pleas to conspiracy charges. They were arrested in November 2025 and remain free on bail. The Cleveland Guardians placed them on non-disciplinary leave without pay. As of 3:49 p.m. ET on November 4, 2026, ESPN’s official data feeds list Clase as inactive — a 28-year-old reliever in his sixth MLB season — and Ortiz as inactive — a 27-year-old starter in his fourth season.
Urquiola said text messages between the pitchers and gamblers used code words like "chicken" and "rooster," and that testimony from some gamblers would support the government’s case. She stated Clase sought kickbacks after seeing gamblers profit from his disclosures.
Defense attorneys rejected the allegations. Michael Bronson, Clase’s lawyer, said Pena falsely claimed access to inside pitch information and tried to sell it. Bronson said Pena lost over 200 bets on Clase’s pitches and was lying to exploit his client. He noted Clase left school at 15 in a small Dominican coastal village before becoming a baseball standout.
Samuel Landes, representing Ortiz, told jurors his client had no contact with gamblers. He said only two of Ortiz’s pitches — both balls — are cited in the indictment. "That’s not a conspiracy. That’s just baseball," Landes said. He also noted Pena struck a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison despite lying to banks and on immigration forms. Prosecutors confirmed last week they do not intend to call Pena as a witness.
Photo: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
More: MLB · Cleveland Guardians
