Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday as defendants in a trial alleging they conspired with associates to manipulate 18 of Clase’s pitches across three seasons.
Government witness Luis de Aza Baez testified he placed dozens of wagers and collected thousands of dollars betting on Clase’s pitch velocity during the 2023 season using information supplied by Enoc Pena, an associate of Clase’s. De Aza Baez said that flow of information ended in 2024 after heightened scrutiny following the gambling-related criminal case involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
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Mizuhara pleaded guilty in 2024 to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to settle gambling debts and is serving a prison sentence. Ohtani was cleared of any misconduct.
De Aza Baez testified that a September 30, 2023 text message Clase allegedly sent to Pena referenced “killing the first two chickens.” De Aza Baez interpreted the phrase as conditional instructions to bet on Clase’s pitch to the third batter — but only if Clase retired the first two batters. Clase did not appear in Cleveland’s game against the Detroit Tigers that day.
Clase’s defense argued the phrase refers to cockfighting — a legal cultural practice in the Dominican Republic — not pitch manipulation.
De Aza Baez testified he met Clase at a birthday party in Winthrop, Massachusetts on April 28, 2023, while the Guardians were in town for a series against the Boston Red Sox. Prosecutors showed video footage of Clase playing dominoes at a table bearing a Red Sox logo.
He admitted opening a DraftKings account under his wife’s name to raise wagering limits and placing Clase-related bets in parlays to increase potential returns. As part of a cooperation agreement, he agreed to surrender $69,000 in winnings and testify truthfully in exchange for dismissal of a wire fraud charge.
Clase, Ortiz and co-defendant Robinson Vásquez have pleaded not guilty to counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, honest services fraud, sports bribery and money laundering. Vásquez’s attorney Todd Spodek told ESPN after Friday’s hearing: “This is a case about big talk and small bets.”
According to ESPN’s official data feeds, Clase is inactive and listed as a 28-year-old relief pitcher in his sixth MLB season. Ortiz is inactive and listed as a 27-year-old starting pitcher in his fourth MLB season. The trial will resume next Thursday in Brooklyn.
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