Posted on: February 19, 2026, 06:28h.
Last updated on: February 19, 2026, 06:32h.
- Pitchers plead not guilty to charges in rewritten federal indictment
- Trial had originally been scheduled for May 4
- MLB spring training season began last week
The trial for major league pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, charged in an illegal sports betting scheme, will likely be pushed to October, a federal judge said yesterday, as both men pleaded not guilty to a rewritten indictment.
Both Clase and Ortiz, members of the Cleveland Guardians, have been charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering for their alleged roles in a gambler scheme.
The two pitchers were alleged to have helped gamblers in their home country of the Dominican Republic win over $400,000 placing prop bets on games where they rigged pitches, including the speed and outcome of pitches.
Fraud Charges
Clase and Ortiz were alleged to have been paid thousands of dollars for their part in the illegal gambling scheme.
The trial date for the two men was originally set for May 4. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto said that while she was leaving the May date in place for now she was likely going to move it to the fall in the coming weeks.
No new charges were unveiled in new indictment that was released Friday. Both players were originally charged last November.
Clase and Ortiz were placed on nondisciplinary paid leave by MLB last summer when the story broke. The Guardians opened spring training in Arizona last week and start the new MLB season on March 26 in Seattle against the Mariners.
All-Star Relief Pitcher
Associated Press reported that in the rewritten indictment it was alleged the gamblers and Clase used code words in their communications, including “rooster” and “chicken”, texting about pitches he was about to throw. The indictment reportedly said that last May, before a game against the Cincinnati Reds, gamblers sent Clase a note saying “throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight,” meaning throw a pitch outside the strike zone to the first batter Clase faced. Clase responded he would, using the code words, but never got into that particular game.
Clase is an all-star MLB relief pitcher, and signed a 5-year, $20 million contract extension with the Guardians in 2022.
Court documents in the trial said Clase has been alleged to have rigging pitches in 48 MLB games, going back to May 2023. Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff said this week, talking about the importance of culture on the team last season, that players were “pissed” when the story broke, but still put it all together. Cleveland was a wildcard team in the MLB playoffs last fall, losing to the Detroit Tigers 2 games to 1 in that series.
Each defendant is looking at a maximum 65 years in prison if found guilty.
