BOSTON — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz appeared in federal court Monday on charges accusing him and teammate Emmanuel Clase of taking bribes to help associates in their native Dominican Republic win prop bets placed on pitches they threw.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell in Boston granted Ortiz his release but with several conditions, including that he surrender his passport, restrict his travel to the Northeast and post a $500,000 bail, $50,000 of it secured. He also was ordered to avoid contact with anyone who could be viewed as a victim, witness or co-defendant in the case.
Ortiz, dressed in a pale green track suit, did not say anything in court. His lawyers declined to speak to reporters after the brief hearing.
According to the indictment against the two unsealed Sunday, Ortiz and Clase 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 Guardians' closer, and Ortiz, a starter, have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, when MLB started investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when the two pitched. Some of the games in question were in April, May and June.
Ortiz, 26, was arrested Sunday by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport. Clase, 27, is believed to be outside the U.S., according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and did so on condition of anonymity.
Ortiz and Clase «betrayed America's pastime,» U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said Sunday. «Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the
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