Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz will continue his paid administrative leave until August 31, while Major League Baseball (MLB) conducts an investigation into unusual betting detected on individual pitches by the right-hander. MLB announced the extension of Ortiz’s license on Friday. Ortiz, with a 4-9 record and a 4.36 ERA, was placed on paid leave on July 3, before the All-Star Game break, after a sportsbook reported suspicious bets on Ortiz’s first pitches in select innings against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27.
On June 27, IC360, a company that monitors the betting market for anomalies, alerted bookmakers and gaming regulators after an operator detected an increase in activity on Ortiz’s first pitch in the bottom of the second inning against the Mariners and in the top of the third inning against the Cardinals. In both cases, the bookmaker observed an unusual increase in money wagered on the pitches, predicting whether they would be balls or if the batter would be hit by the pitch, coming from betting accounts in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio, according to a copy of the IC360 alert. Both pitches were outside the strike zone.MLB and MLBPA agreed to extend the paid administrative leave of Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz through games of August 31, as MLB continues its investigation.
Major League Baseball
