Naylor: Clase, Ortiz pitches looked routine — SkimNews
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- Bo Naylor testified that pitches shown in video replays looked like common sliders outside the strike zone and found nothing unusual; scouting reports called a low-and-away slider a “weapon” against the hitters Ortiz faced.
- Luis Ortiz is accused of intentionally throwing a first-pitch ball to Pedro Pages of the St. Louis Cardinals in the bottom of the third on June 27; Naylor caught 14 of Ortiz’s 16 starts in 2025, including that game.
- Emmanuel Clase is accused of rigging 18 pitches across 17 games from May 19, 2023, to May 28, 2025; Naylor caught seven and said none looked remarkable or out of the ordinary.
- Edward Canario testified that Paca Méndez supplied pitch information for bets on Clase, with Canario paying him half the winning proceeds but absorbing all losses; under cross-examination, Canario said Paca Méndez never called the wagers inside information, only “for-sure bets.”
- DraftKings found 160 geolocation pings from accounts used at Clase’s house, and a government attorney told the court 14 people were geolocated there; Canario’s wagers reached $600 on pitches slower than 94.5 mph or resulting in a ball or hit batsman.
- Kiyo A. Matsumoto said the trial is expected to last until Dec. 3; Clase and Ortiz were indicted in November 2025 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and honest services fraud, sports bribery and money laundering.
Why it matters: For Clase and Ortiz, the defense is separating how a pitch looked from whether it was rigged: Naylor called the seven disputed Clase pitches he caught ordinary. The prosecution instead foregrounds Paca Méndez’s pitch information, wagers up to $600, 160 geolocation pings and 14 people at Clase’s home, making bettor conduct rather than pitch mechanics the central evidentiary contest.
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