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Read Full BioCleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been blocked from playing winter baseball in their native Dominican Republic as a gambling investigation rumbles on.
Both pitchers were in camp with the Estrellas Orientales in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, during the preseason. However, LIDOM, the Dominican Republic’s winter league, has barred the players from being added to the active roster.
The National Federation of Professional Baseball Players (FENAPEPRO) criticized the decision. The organization urged a meeting with LIDOM to discuss the fate of the players.
In a statement, the players’ union representing professional baseball players in the Dominican Republic said, “FENAPEPRO advocates that any measure or decision involving players be adopted with balance, transparency, and in accordance with the procedures previously agreed upon between the parties, for the benefit of the sport and our players.
“That is why it has requested an urgent meeting with the Dominican Baseball League to learn about the case that has been arbitrarily discussed in the media, without having consulted the institution.”
MLB Gambling Investigation Remains Ongoing
The two players have been suspended and placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as MLB investigates potential sports betting violations. Allegations of suspicious betting involving the players emerged in July.
Two of Otriz’s pitches in particular have been flagged after attracting an unusual amount of betting activity. The details in Clase’s case have not been revealed.
Ortiz was placed on leave on July 3, while Clase was placed on leave on July 28. Their leave was extended on Aug. 31, and thus neither pitcher appeared in the postseason for Cleveland.
It is unclear whether the investigation around Clase is related to the suspicious bets on Ortiz’s pitches. Industry watchdog IC360 detected unusual betting activity on two pitches he threw against the Mariners (June 15) and Cardinals (June 27). Both pitches missed the strike zone by a wide margin.
Clase May Never Pitch Again, Claims MLB Insider
There are claims that the investigation into Clase could end his MLB career. Dominican journalist Hector Gomez posted on X, “Emmanuel Clase will never pitch in MLB again. The gambling evidence found against him is irrefutable.”
Gomez did not reveal what the irrefutable evidence is, and there has been no official statement from MLB, the Cleveland Guardians, or the player. Gomez did not comment on Ortiz or whether the evidence implicates the 26-year-old in the scandal.
Clase is no stranger to controversy. He was suspended for 80 games during the 2020 season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. On either side of his suspension, he pitched in LIDOM for the Estrellas. He appeared in seven games in 2019-20 and one game the following season, posting a 1.13 ERA in eight innings.
The Dominican is a three-time All-Star since signing with Cleveland in 2019. He agreed to a five-year, $20 million extension with the Guardians in April 2022.
Ortiz was part of the trade that saw Spencer Horwitz sent to the Pirates last year. He was signed by the Pirates as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2018.
Ohio Gambling Regulator Also Investigating Players
In addition to the MLB investigation, Ohio’s gambling regulator, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), announced it was launching its own probe into the case in August.
The OCCC said, “The Commission is working closely with Major League Baseball’s highly skilled investigative team as contemplated by Ohio law. The Commission’s investigation is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of sports wagering conducted in Ohio, and we appreciate Major League Baseball’s efforts are directed at protecting the integrity of the game itself.”
Both organizations will undoubtedly use any irrefutable evidence that comes to light to pursue charges against the players.
Ohio Governor Calls for Ban on Prop Bets
The scandal could even have potential ramifications for the sports betting market in Ohio. When the news broke, Mike Dewine, the governor of Ohio, where the Cleveland Guardians are based, stated that he favored an outright ban on prop betting in the state.
Dewine said: “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, although stopping short of advocating for a ban, nonetheless also voiced his concerns, saying: “There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable.”
He added, “I know there was a lot of sports betting, tons of it that went on illegally, and we had no idea, no idea what threats there were to the integrity of the play because it was all not transparent.”
— Callum Hamilton contributed to this report
