MLB: Another Team Linked to Gambling Scandal? — Shady Pitches and Suspicious Bets

Another major betting controversy unfolding in baseball?

A quiet series late last month may have just sparked one of the league’s most unsettling investigations yet.

According to ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is currently under league investigation for a potential violation of MLB’s strict gambling policy. The inquiry focuses on two highly specific pitches thrown by Ortiz that reportedly triggered internal betting alerts.

One of those pitches came on June 27 during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, where Ortiz opened the third inning with a slider that missed the strike zone by a mile. A nearly identical pitch occurred earlier that month on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners. Both first-pitch sliders were so far outside the zone — and so oddly timed — that they raised red flags among betting watchdog systems.

While Ortiz has not been disciplined, MLB has placed him on paid administrative leave until July 17 as the investigation continues.

The Cardinals, though not implicated in wrongdoing, were directly involved in one of the two flagged games, effectively becoming the unknowing victims in what could develop into a much larger scandal.

This comes just over a year after Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter became the center of a gambling-related theft scheme, which rocked the league and briefly cast doubt on baseball’s biggest star. That case ended with the interpreter’s firing and legal action, but it left a lasting imprint on how MLB monitors betting activity.

Baseball’s rules remain firm: no player, coach, umpire, or league employee is permitted to bet on games, and violations can lead to severe punishment — up to and including lifetime bans. Just ask Pete Rose, whose legendary career remains locked out of Cooperstown due to gambling infractions.

As Ortiz awaits the outcome of the investigation, the league once again finds itself walking a tightrope between integrity, transparency, and the growing influence of legalized sports betting.