CLEVELAND, Ohio — Five bettors wagered big on pitches thrown by former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz — and won big.
The bettors won more often on larger wagers than on smaller ones or other types of bets, according to federal prosecutors.
Their betting patterns formed the basis of the FBI’s early investigation into Clase and Ortiz, which led to federal pitch-rigging charges that have left Ortiz and Clase, once one of baseball’s most dominant closers, fighting for their careers and freedom, according to a recently unsealed 63-page court filing by prosecutors…