Pluto: Guardians pitchers’ trial ‘lifts the rug’ on legalized gambling in baseball

Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase arrives at the Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Yuki Iwamura / The Associated Press)The federal trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, currently on unpaid leave, continues this week in New York. They're accused of intentionally manipulating pitches to help sports bettors win money.Ideastream Public Media sports commentator Terry Pluto said betting on whether an individual pitch will be a ball or strike is a form of prop betting, with a negative impact on the game as a whole.“In the old days, when you called a bookie from a pay phone, you just put some action down on whether the team's gonna win or lose," Pluto said. "I mean, that seems almost romantic compared to all this stuff."Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges filed last year. Prosecutors allege the pitchers accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for manipulating individual pitches, allowing b