Witness: Clase 'inside' pitch info dried up amid Mizuhara case fallout - ESPN

NEW YORK — A government witness testified Friday in the federal trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz that the inside information he used to bet regularly on Clase pitches in 2023 dried up the next season due to increased scrutiny from the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's interpreter.

Luis de Aza Baez said he placed dozens of bets and won thousands of dollars by wagering on the velocity of select Clase pitches during the 2023 season, «because I had inside information.» Clase is accused of conspiring with bettors to rig 18 pitches over three seasons.

De Aza Baez said that when he asked for more information on Clase pitches in 2024, he was told that because of «what was going on with Ohtani, there was no more information like that.»

Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, came under scrutiny in March 2024 after ESPN reported that millions of dollars had been sent from his bank account to an illegal bookmaking operation. His longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, later pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts and is currently in prison. Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing.

In a six-episode series, 30 for 30 Podcasts examines how Shohei Ohtani's relationship with his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara unraveled amid a massive sports betting scheme. Listen now.

De Aza Baez, who worked as an Uber driver, told prosecutors that he began receiving information about the pitches from Enoc Pena, an associate of Clase's, in 2023. He said the tips often came through a group chat titled «Uber Inc.» that Pena started and included other men who have been referenced in the case and also worked for the ride-share company in Massachusetts at the time.

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