Witness Says Pitch Tips Ended After Ohtani Interpreter Scandal

WHO:

ESPN - Government witness Luis de Aza Baez, an Uber driver, testified in the federal trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said Enoc Pena, an associate of Clase, supplied him with pitch information; the tips often came through an “Uber Inc.” group chat that Pena started.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said the group chat included other men involved in the case who worked for the ride-share company in Massachusetts.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he became friends with Pena, co-defendants Robinson Vásquez Germosen and Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez while they lived in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

ESPN - Clase, Ortiz and Vásquez have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges involving wire and honest services fraud, sports bribery and money laundering.

ESPN - Paca Méndez, who pleaded not guilty, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to the United States and is not participating in the trial.

ESPN - Ohtani was cleared of wrongdoing; Ippei Mizuhara, his longtime interpreter, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay gambling debts and is in prison.

Fox News - A government witness said he won thousands of dollars betting on Clase pitch speeds with inside tips shared through an Uber driver group chat.

WHAT:

ESPN - De Aza Baez testified that he placed dozens of bets in 2023 on the velocity of selected Clase pitches and won thousands of dollars because he had “inside information.”

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he was told in 2024 that, because of “what was going on with Ohtani, there was no more information like that.”

ESPN - Clase is accused of conspiring with bettors to rig 18 pitches over three seasons.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he received no information directly from Clase and had no agreement with Pena; he gave Pena money because he “almost always” won using the tips.

ESPN - De Aza Baez acknowledged opening a DraftKings account in his wife’s name to increase his betting and putting Clase-pitch wagers into parlays to maximize payouts.

ESPN - De Aza Baez agreed to forfeit $69,000 in winnings and “tell the truth” in exchange for prosecutors dropping a wire-fraud charge related to the case.

ESPN - Prosecutors showed a text allegedly sent by Clase to Pena that referred to “killing the first two chickens.” De Aza Baez said it instructed bettors to wager on a pitch to the inning’s third batter if Clase had retired the first two.

ESPN - Clase’s defense argued that references to roosters and chickens could refer to cockfighting, legal in the Dominican Republic.

ESPN - Vásquez’s attorney Todd Spodek said, “This is a case about big talk and small bets,” and said the defense was confident leaving the judgment to the jury.

NY Post - The article described the Guardians’ pitch-rigging case as having an “interesting wrinkle.”

WHERE:

ESPN - The federal trial was held in Brooklyn; De Aza Baez said he had lived in Nantucket and later moved to Winthrop, Massachusetts.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he met Clase at a birthday party at his Winthrop home and again a few days later at a relative’s house.

ESPN - Prosecutors showed video of Clase playing dominoes at a table with a Boston Red Sox logo.

WHEN:

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he received pitch tips in 2023, and the information dried up in 2024.

ESPN - The alleged “chickens” text was dated Sept. 30, 2023; the Guardians were scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers, but Clase did not appear in the game.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said he met Clase at a birthday party on April 28, 2023.

ESPN - ESPN reported in March 2024 that millions of dollars had been sent from Ohtani’s bank account to an illegal bookmaking operation.

ESPN - Paca Méndez was extradited on Oct. 19.

ESPN - The trial was scheduled to continue the following Thursday.

WHY:

ESPN - De Aza Baez said the tips stopped because increased scrutiny linked to the Ohtani interpreter gambling scandal meant there was “no more information like that.”

ESPN - Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay gambling debts.

HOW:

ESPN - De Aza Baez said the tips were shared through Pena and often sent in the “Uber Inc.” group chat.

ESPN - De Aza Baez said bets were based on the velocity of selected Clase pitches; he also used parlays and an account under his wife’s name to increase potential wagers and payouts.

An Uber driver testified that pitch tips helped him win thousands betting on Emmanuel Clase pitches. He said the information came through an Uber group chat started by Clase’s associate. Clase and Luis Ortiz face federal conspiracy charges; both have pleaded not guilty.