Ortiz, Clase May Never Pitch Again Amid Gambling Probe

Ohio’s state gambling agency is now working with Major League Baseball on the investigation into Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase. The Ohio Casino Control Commission was made aware of suspicious betting activity on Cleveland Guardians games by a licensed sportsbook in the state. 

It appears that the two incidents are separate and not related. The incident involving Ortiz occurred first. The OCCC was notified on June 30 and Ortiz was placed on paid leave on July 3. That leave has been extended to August 31 as MLB continues its investigation.

Clase was also placed on paid leave on July 28 through August 31 while MLB conducts its investigation. Clase’s situation is similar as there was some unusual betting activity related to pitches that both pitchers had thrown in certain games. 

The suspensions came at a crucial time for the Guardians. Cleveland remains in the hunt for an American League wild card berth and despite the loss of a starter from their rotation and their top closer in the bullpen, they’ve won 16 of their last 24 games since the All-Star break.

Wild Pitches

Both pitchers are being investigated because of certain pitches they threw in games this season. For Ortiz, there were two specific pitches thrown that received a higher than normal amount of prop betting activity. One came in a start at Seattle on June 15 and the other in a game against St. Louis on June 27.

Now, bettors can wager on these “micro bets” where they can bet on, for example, whether the next pitch will be a strike or a ball. In the cases of these two pitches, they both landed well outside the strike zone. The pitches landed far enough out of the strike zone to led the sportsbook to notify OCCC. 

Clase’s Case

It’s a similar story for Clase, who is under investigation for purposely throwing balls to begin innings. Like Ortiz’s pitches against Seattle and St. Louis, Clase threw a ball on the first pitch of an inning on two separate occasions. Those occasions coincide with some suspicious betting activity at a sportsbook in Ohio.

Clase is widely regarded as one of the best relief pitchers in the game. He has a career 1.88 ERA in 366 games. Last year, he gave up just five earned runs in 74⅓ innings and finished third in the AL Cy Young voting. 

What’s Next for Ortiz & Clase

It’s hard to imagine Ortiz or Clase pitching again this season. Cleveland has already cleared both of their lockers out. Just last season, San Diego utility infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life from MLB for his role in a gambling scandal.

Four other players – Michael Kelly, Jay Goome, Jose Rodriguez, and Andrew Saalfrank – all received one-year suspensions for betting on MLB games while playing in the minors. The difference in the suspensions is related to Marcano’s placing bets on his own team, the Padres.

With those suspensions fresh on the mind of the MLB brass, Ortiz and Clase are done for 2025. Since the incidents occurred during games they were pitching in, the end result could potentially be the worst. That would be a lifetime ban from the game of baseball.

Ohio & Prop Bets

Another interesting story developing in Ohio is related to prop bets. The OCCC meets on August 20. Ohio governor Mike DeWine wants the commission to place a ban on certain player-specific micro bets like the ones that were flagged in the investigations of Ortiz and Clase.

DeWine has said that certain wagers like these micro bets do more harm to the game, in this case baseball. “The harm to athletes and to the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm,” said DeWine on July 31. He feels as though the prop betting experiment not only in his state, but in the U.S. is failing. Ohio is one of 16 U.S. states that does not allow prop betting on college sports.

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