NEW YORK — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he and teammate Emmanuel Clase took bribes to help gamblers win bets placed on pitches they threw.
The 26-year-old starting pitcher appeared in Brooklyn federal court after his initial arrest Sunday at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
He was released on a $500,000 bond with GPS monitoring until his next court date on Nov. 19. Ortiz, who has already surrendered his passport to authorities, was also ordered to limit his travel to New York, Massachusetts and Ohio.
Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals this summer.
One of Ortiz’s lawyers, Chris Georgalis, has denied the charges, saying payments between his client and individuals in the Dominican Republic that are cited in the case were for legal activities.
Boston Red Sox. Minutes later, the bettor and his associates won $11,000 on a wager that Clase would toss a certain pitch slower than 97.95 mph (157.63 kph).
Clase and Ortiz are each charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.
The gambling-related arrests are the latest to roil American professional sports.
Last month, more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that involved leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families.
Major League Baseball, following the indictments of Clase and Ortiz, announced new limits on betting on individual pitches.
