Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz is currently under investigation by Major League Baseball after a betting-integrity firm flagged unusual betting activity on a pair of wild pitches thrown this season.
Videos by FanBuzz
Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on 'non-disciplinary paid leave' as a result of an MLB betting investigation, per @Ken_Rosenthal & @ZackMeisel pic.twitter.com/Jj2WBO1on7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 3, 2025
As of now, Ortiz is currently placed on "non-disciplinary paid leave" for the next two weeks until July 17.
Notably, the alerts stem from large amounts of money placed on bets for Ortiz's first pitches in select innings to be a 'ball or a hit batsman' during two separate games this season: June 15 vs. Seattle Mariners (bottom of 2nd inning) and June 27 vs. St. Louis Cardinals (top of 3rd inning).
Luis Ortiz under investigation for unusual gambling activity.
Via ESPN: "Both alerts flagged bets in Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Betting on the result of first pitches is offered by some sportsbooks, which such wagers commonly referred to as microbets."
Pitches in question: pic.twitter.com/hWPTC3AJHL— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) July 3, 2025
Luis Ortiz got caught gambling when an irregular influx of money came in on the “First Pitch Of The 3rd Inning Will Be a Ball” bet and he came out and threw this 😂 😂 😂 #guilty pic.twitter.com/9oqvOwM01D
— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) July 3, 2025
Some nuance on the two sliders from #Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz that were flagged:
Out of the 92 first pitches he’s thrown to start an inning, the two in question clearly stand out.
The slider is Ortiz’s second most common first pitch in an inning (21/92), so that alone isn’t… pic.twitter.com/TQQkS4kgp4
— Josh Rogers (@ImJoshRogers) July 3, 2025
Some fans have also brought to light instances where Ortiz actually seemed to be upset after striking out a batter, such as vs. New York Yankees hitter Anthony Volpe, where the right-hander yelled out, "f***," following the punch out.
Here is a video of Luis Ortiz, clearly being upset after a strikeout that he bet against happening pic.twitter.com/w1uvCUbKbV
— Philly sports complex (@philly_complex) July 4, 2025
26-year-old Ortiz was acquired this past offseason via a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and has appeared in 16 games this season (4-9 record), earning a 4.36 ERA and 1.38 WHIP to go with 96 strikeouts.
To note, Ortiz was scheduled to pitch on Thursday vs. the Chicago Cubs, but will be out until after the All-Star break, which is a paid leave that had been negotiated by the league and MLB players association. That is to say, if the investigation remains open at that time, he could miss more games.
To point out, the MLB has been known to take a "no nonsense" approach when dealing with possible violations of the league's gambling policy from players or umpires.
In view of last year's lifetime ban on former player Tucupita Marcano, he got caught placing nearly 400 bets on games, while four other minor league players were handed one-year suspensions for gambling on baseball.
And MLB umpire Pat Hoberg was also fired in February after it was discovered he was "sharing" a legal sports betting account with a friend, who bet on baseball (per ESPN).
The Guardians, who are currently on a six-game losing streak and have fallen to a 40-45 record (12.5 games back of Detroit Tigers), released a team statement on Thursday:
"The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process."
Related: Top 5 Most Infamous Gambling Sports Figures
