Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on nondisciplinary paid leave “until further notice” while a gambling investigation continues, Major League Baseball announced Sunday.
The investigation stems from unusual betting interest in individual pitches by Ortiz in two Guardians game in June. A sportsbook reported “suspicious betting” on the first pitch thrown by Ortiz to be a ball or hit batsman to begin the 2nd inning of a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners and again in the third inning of a June 27 game against the St Louis Cardinals. In both instances, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission, which oversees the state’s sports betting market, has said it is investigating the situation alongside and independently of Major League Baseball. Betting on the result of pitches is a niche market, offered by only a select few US sportsbooks. New Jersey and Ohio have taken steps to prohibit state-licensed sportsbooks from offering such markets, commonly referred to as microbetting, but for now, some sportsbooks continue to offer betting on the result of individual pitches.
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