Two Major League Baseball pitchers charged in sports gambling scheme

November 9, 2025

Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera, face federal charges for allegedly accepting bribes to intentionally throw specific pitches during MLB games as part of a sports betting scheme. Federal prosecutors claim the operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal winnings, with Clase's rigged pitches allegedly helping conspirators win at least $400,000 and Ortiz's generating around $60,000. The players allegedly received kickbacks for providing advance information about which pitches they would manipulate, with one example citing a $7,000 payment to each pitcher for a single rigged pitch in June 2025.

Who is affected

Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz (Cleveland Guardians pitcher)
Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera (Cleveland Guardians pitcher)
The Cleveland Guardians organization
Major League Baseball
Online betting platforms where fraudulent bets were placed
Co-conspirators who placed bets
Baseball fans and the general public who trust the sport's integrity

What action is being taken

Federal prosecutors and the FBI have charged both pitchers with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy
Mr. Ortiz has been arrested in Boston
Both players have been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave
The Cleveland Guardians is cooperating with law enforcement and the league in their investigations
MLB is conducting its own investigation

Why it matters

This case threatens public trust in baseball as a fair and legitimate sport, representing a fundamental corruption of America's pastime. The scheme undermines the integrity of competitive sports and creates unfair advantages for certain bettors while defrauding betting platforms and depriving MLB and the Guardians of honest services from their players. The case also reflects a broader pattern of sports betting corruption, as it follows similar schemes involving NBA personnel and organized crime families announced just weeks earlier.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC