Trial Begins for Ex-Guardians Pitchers Clase and Ortiz in Pitch-Rigging Betting Scheme Jury selection started Monday in Brooklyn federal court for former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, accused of accepting bribes to tip off gamblers about specific pitches. If convicted on all charges, they face up to 65 years in prison. Jury selection began Monday in Brooklyn federal court for former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of accepting bribes in a pitch-rigging scheme that won hundreds of thousands of dollars for gamblers with whom they allegedly colluded. Facing Maximum 65 Years PrisonThe trial, expected to last about a month, could determine their careers and their freedom. Both pitchers have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and are on nondisciplinary leave from the club without pay. Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, and Ortiz, a four-year starting pitcher, face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.If convicted on all charges, they face a maximum of 65 years in prison. Their lawyers are expected to argue that the pitchers did not collude with gamblers and instead varied pitch placement strategically to fool batters. According to the indictment, Clase began providing bettors with information about his pitches in 2023 and recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025.Prosecutors allege the pitchers accepted several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $450,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches. The government zeroed in on 18 pitches thrown from 2023 to 2025 in which Clase allegedly provided advance information about his intentions, typically delivering the ball far outside the strike zone or at a predetermined speed.In one example from the indictment, during a May 19, 2023, game against the Mets at Citi Field, bettors allegedly won approximately $27,000 by wagering that a pitch thrown by Clase would be faster than 94.95 mph. Bettors placed over a hundred straight bets and parlays on Clase's pitches, according to the indictment. One pitch in the dirt that the Dodgers' Andy Pages swung at resulted in a betting loss.Prosecutors Claim Code Words UsedProsecutors say Clase used code words such as rooster and chicken in text messages with bettors, though one bettor said in a court document that those conversations were about cockfighting. Lawyers for Ortiz unsuccessfully sought to have him tried separately from Clase. Ortiz's attorneys wrote that Ortiz was a victim of Clase's scheme, according to The Athletic.Clase's defense team is expected to argue that there were strategic purposes for the pitches in contention to be delivered so far out of the strike zone and that the bets placed were within normal ranges. In a September filing, Clase's attorneys wrote that in isolation, any single pitch in the dirt can be painted as nefarious.The Athletic cited a brief filed by Clase's defense attorneys in which Scott Powers, a former assistant general manager with the Astros, argued that there are baseball reasons for Clase to aim his pitches outside the strike zone. Among the potential witnesses listed in a court filing are Guardians executives such as general manager Mike Chernoff, coaches such as pitching coach Carl Willis, and players such as catchers Austin Hedges, Mike Zunino and Bo Naylor.Several professional baseball players, including catchers and baseball executives, are among witnesses expected to testify. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, who is presiding over the trial, said at a conference Friday that she hopes to complete jury selection quickly enough that lawyers can deliver relatively short opening statements in the afternoon.Judge Blocks Tax Debt EvidenceOn Friday, Judge Matsumoto ruled that prosecutors cannot show the jury proof that Clase owed $500,000 in U.S. taxes because they had only provided the evidence to defense lawyers several days earlier and long after a deadline had passed to turn over evidence. A prosecutor had argued the government wanted to put the evidence in the trial to offset any claim by Clase's lawyers that he had no incentive to collude with gamblers because he had several million dollars in financial accounts in the Dominican Republic.Clase, 28, had completed his fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract when charges against the pitchers were revealed in November 2025. He was among the best relief pitchers in baseball, holding a 1.88 ERA with 182 saves through six seasons, five of which were with Cleveland. Before being placed on unpaid nondisciplinary leave, Clase had been set to make $6.4 million in 2025. Major League Baseball and the Guardians have both said they fully cooperated with authorities.MLB said it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity. In the aftermath of the indictment, MLB announced that in conjunction with authorized gaming operations, there would now be a $200 cap on micro-betting on pitch-level markets, and those prop bets would also be excluded from parlays.