Cleveland 's Luis Ortiz to appear in court over allegations he took bribes to rig pitches

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FILE - Cleveland Guardians' Luis Ortiz pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, in Cleveland, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

BOSTON – Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is due in court Monday on charges accusing him and teammate Emmanuel Clase of taking bribes to help bettors in their native Dominican Republic win prop bets placed on pitches they threw.

According to the indictment against the two unsealed Sunday, the highly paid hurlers took several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two unnamed gamblers in their home country win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of certain pitches, including some that landed in the dirt.

Clase, who was the Gu