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Parent pitchers Klaas and Ortiz were involved in a gambling scandal. Prosecutors accused the two of using code words to manipulate pitches and profits. Catcher Naylor testified that he did not know he could bet on a single ball until after the incident.
Guardian pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were involved in gambling. The trial began this week. Catcher Bo Naylor, who was playing for the Guardians at the time of the incident and is currently with the Brewers, appeared in court as a witness. He said that until the matter came to light he did not know that he could bet on even a single ball.
Crause was accused of providing pitching information to punters starting in 2023, allowing punters to bet on good or bad pitches for the same pitch, and involving Ortiz in 2025. The two made illegal profits of at least $460,000. After the incident came to light in 2025, the two were put on the banned list and took unpaid leave during this period.
The case was heard this week. Defense attorneys for both men claimed that jurors took advantage of them. Prosecutors believed the two were undoubtedly “cheaters” who used code words such as “cock” and “hen” to communicate in the lounge to manipulate pitches and told bettors in advance which pitch they would use.
When Neller watched several clips of Clase and Ortiz pitching in court, the prosecutor asked him if he knew he could bet on the same ball. Naylor responded: “I didn’t know, I didn’t know until after it happened.”
When further asked whether the catcher knew the path and location of the pitch before throwing each ball, Naylor said that the pre-game meeting would formulate a battle strategy, and develop the most effective pitching method based on each hitter’s hitting habits and weaknesses. Before each ball is thrown, the catcher will indicate the type and location of the ball, but the pitcher has the right to decide the actual path of the ball as they can veto the delivery of the ball and change to other pitches.
Naylor said that no matter how good a pitcher is, there is no guarantee that every ball will go where intended, but he also said that Crause has “pretty good control over the ball.”
Additionally, the defense had previously alleged that Klaas would approach punters during games, a move that violated Major League Baseball rules. Naylor said he was not very close to any of the pitchers, but he often saw Klaas using his phone in the dugout.
Crais’ defense attorney also asked Naylor if he had heard that Naylor would attend cockfights with acquaintances from his hometown. Naylor said he had heard such a statement, but the source was a rumor heard in the lounge. Clase’s defense attorney explained that Clase was as interested in cockfighting and dominoes as his friends, and that cockfighting is a legal activity in the Dominican Republic and is not an illegal sport.
Summary FAQ
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Prosecutors accused Crause of providing pitching information to gamblers starting in 2023, allowing them to bet on a good or bad pitch on a single pitch, and in 2025, he recruited Ortiz to join in. The two made at least $460,000 in illegal profits.
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Prosecutors believed that these code words were a way for the two to communicate and manipulate pitches in the lounge. Its purpose was to tell gamblers in advance what type of ball they would be throwing, and then to coordinate with the single-ball betting system.
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Naylor said that he did not know that betting could be done on single-balls until the matter came to light. He also said that although the catcher will formulate a delivery strategy and pinpoint the ball’s location before the game, the pitcher can still veto the delivery of the ball, and the final path of the ball may not go exactly as planned.
