Guardians' Luis Ortiz Makes First Court Appearance In Pitch Rigging Case
Guardians' Luis Ortiz Makes First Court Appearance ... In Pitch Rigging Case
Published
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz made his first court appearance in his pitch rigging case on Monday ... with the 26-year-old being granted his release with several conditions.
Ortiz appeared before a judge in Boston ... where he walked out of the courthouse after posting a $500,000 bond, $50K being secured. He was ordered to surrender his passport ... and his travel has been restricted to the Northeast.
Cameras were rolling as Luis left in a tracksuit, but he kept his lips sealed as he got into the waiting vehicle.
The four-year MLB veteran was arrested Sunday at Logan Airport in Boston ... and we obtained a photo not long after Ortiz was met by cops.
Prosecutors unsealed the indictments on Sunday, alleging that Ortiz and his teammate -- Emmanuel Clase -- worked with co-conspirators on what pitches they would throw in the game.
Their co-conspirators would then place hundreds of "fraudulent bets" on those pitches ... which won them at least $400,000, according to officials.
Chris Georgalis -- Ortiz's attorney -- came out with a strong rebuke of the charges to ESPN, denying claims that the pitcher improperly influenced games.
As for Clase, he is not currently in custody. His attorney also provided a statement to the outlet ... saying, "Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court."
