Ex-Guardians catcher Bo Naylor: Nothing unusual about Clase, Ortiz pitches

During a federal gambling trial, former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified that he did not find anything unusual about the pitches thrown by Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of rigging pitches to benefit bettors. Naylor, who caught for Ortiz during many of his starts, stated that the pitches in question appeared to be standard sliders outside the strike zone, consistent with scouting reports suggesting that such pitches would be effective against the hitters faced.

Naylor, who played five seasons for the Guardians before joining the Milwaukee Brewers, expressed that he was unaware of sportsbooks offering bets on individual pitch outcomes until the allegations surfaced. He emphasized that sharing information outside the team would be a serious breach of trust but did not suspect either Clase or Ortiz of such actions. In contrast, government witness Edward Canario revealed that he placed bets based on inside information from co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez, who had been living with Clase. The trial, which includes multiple testimonies and evidence, is expected to continue until early December.