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Guardians’ Luis Ortiz pleads innocence via attorney after indictment
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- Guardians’ Luis Ortiz pleads innocence via attorney after indictment
The post Guardians' Luis Ortiz pleads innocence via attorney after indictment appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central with a great September run despite two absences on the mound. Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were placed on leave due to a gambling investigation. On Sunday, both pitchers were indicted, and Ortiz was arrested for allegedly rigging individual pitches on multiple occasions. Ortiz's lawyer, Chris Georgalis, issued a statement to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
" Luis Ortiz is innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw," the statement reads. "He has never, and would never improperly influence a game – not for anyone or anything."
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The statement continues, "As Luis' defense team extensively explained and documented to the government before these charges were brought, Luis' payments and other transfers of money between him and individuals in the Dominican Republic were lawful activities. Notably, the indictment completely lacks any alleged evidence connecting Luis to these alleged bettors or demonstrating any purposeful involvement in a scheme."
Georgalis finishes, "There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government's case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself, and he will prevail."
Ortiz spent the first three years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates before he was traded to the Guardians last offseason. In his lone year in Cleveland, he made 16 starts with a 4.36 ERA. But this scandal has loomed over him since it broke in July.
The details from the indictment allege that Ortiz received $5,000 for throwing a ball on purpose. He then received $7,000 for doing it again. For those charges, Ortiz and Clase both face up to 65 years in prison.
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The Guardians were without both pitchers down the stretch and may now have to replace them in free agency.
Related: Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz indicted on charges related to MLB betting scheme
Related: Guardians bring back reliever with latest roster move
