Copyright The Boston Herald
One of the indicted MLB pitchers who’s accused of rigging pitches in a scheme with corrupt sports bettors was released from Boston federal court, as the league announced that sportsbooks will cap wagers on pitch prop bets. Luis Ortiz, who was arrested by the feds in the Hub over the weekend, was in Boston court on Monday for an initial appearance. The starting pitcher was released on $500,000 bond ahead of a court arraignment in New York on Wednesday. Ortiz, who’s from the Dominican Republic, was ordered to surrender his passport. Meanwhile, the other defendant — Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz, who’s also from the Dominican Republic — is still not in custody, and officials believe he’s out of the country. The pitchers allegedly agreed to rig pitches with corrupt sports bettors. The co-conspirators then used that information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets on those pitches. The duo is accused of agreeing in advance to throw balls (instead of strikes) in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Meanwhile on Monday, MLB announced that sportsbooks will cap wagers on pitch prop bets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays. The league said this bet limit — and the ban on parlaying them — reduces the payouts and the ability to circumvent the new limit. “Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, Major League Baseball has continuously worked with industry and regulatory stakeholders across the country to uphold our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. Such pitch prop bets have been “particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns,” he said. “We look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders, including licensed sports betting operators, elected officials and regulators, to ensure we are always protecting the integrity of our game,” Manfred added. The pitchers are being charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. The case goes back to May of 2023 when Clase allegedly agreed with corrupt sports bettors to rig prop bets on pitches. The bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches, based on information they knew in advance by allegedly coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during games. Clase often threw these rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, Clase threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone, according to the feds. The indictment includes numerous examples of pitches that Clase allegedly rigged, including one in a game against the New York Mets. By allegedly rigging pitches, Clase helped his co-conspirator bettors win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers. Then Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme earlier this year. Before a game on June 15, Ortiz allegedly agreed to throw a ball in exchange for bribes. The bettors allegedly agreed to pay Ortiz a $5,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch, and Clase a $5,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch. Then before a game on June 27, Ortiz allegedly agreed to rig a second pitch by throwing a ball in exchange for a bribe. The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $7,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch, and Clase a $7,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch. By allegedly rigging pitches for bribes, Ortiz helped his co-conspirator bettors win at least $60,000 in fraudulent wagers, according to prosecutors.
