Witness: Clase 'inside' pitch info dried up amid Mizuhara case fallout

NEW YORK -- A government witness testified Friday in the federal trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz that the inside information he used to bet regularly on Clase pitches in 2023 dried up the next season due to increased scrutiny from the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's interpreter. Luis de Aza Baez said he placed dozens of bets and won thousands of dollars by wagering on the velocity of select Clase pitches during the 2023 season, "because I had inside information." Clase is accused of conspiring with bettors to rig 18 pitches over three seasons.