Class and Ortiz: Investigation for Betting Keeps Guardians Pitchers Out of Action
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on administrative leave with pay “until further notice” while the investigation into gambling continues, Major League Baseball announced on Sunday.
MLB announced that the league and the players’ association agreed to extend Clase and Ortiz’s licenses, adding that they will not make any further comments until the investigation concludes.
The investigation focuses on an unusual interest in bets on Ortiz’s individual pitches in two Guardians games in June. A sportsbook reported “suspicious bets” on Ortiz’s first pitch, where bets were placed on whether it would be a ball or hit the batter to start the second inning of a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners, and again in the third inning of a June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. On both occasions, Ortiz threw a curveball that was outside the strike zone.
The IC360 integrity firm, which collaborates with betting houses, sports leagues, and state regulators to monitor the betting market, sent an alert to its clients about unusual activity related to Ortiz’s pitches on June 27. Ortiz was placed on administrative leave with pay on July 3.
Class, the Guardians’ closer, was placed on administrative leave with pay weeks later, on July 28.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission, which oversees the state’s sports betting market, has stated that it is investigating the situation in parallel and independently of MLB.
Betting on the outcome of pitches is a specific market, offered by only a few sportsbooks in the United States. New Jersey and Ohio have taken steps to ban state-licensed sportsbooks from offering these types of markets, commonly known as micro-bets, but, for now, some sportsbooks continue to offer bets on the outcome of individual pitches.
Class, the American League leader in saves in 2024, had 24 saves and a 5-3 record with a 3.23 ERA this season. Ortiz, for his part, had a 4-9 record with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts.
Entering Sunday, the Guardians are three games out of the American League Wild Card race.
