These are the two pitches that got Luis Ortiz investigated for gambling by MLB

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz is on unpaid leave while MLB conducts an investigation related to gambling on baseball. The bombshell report dropped on Thursday, July 3 with details emerging that confirmed what many fans expected, that it was related to gambling. However, what stood out even more is further details from ESPN insider Jeff Passan that it was two pitches that spawned the investigation and what amounts to an initial suspension.

According to Passan and his sources, the first pitch from Ortiz in the second inning of a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners and the first pitch of the third inning in his June 27 start against the St. Louis Cardinals received unusual betting activity on the in-game wager of whether the first pitch of each inning would be called a ball or a hit-by-pitch. Both pitches were ultimately called balls by the umpire.

And after you see the two pitches in question, Ortiz really left no doubt that they were balls as both missed the zone quite badly.

These two pitches got Luis Ortiz investigated for gambling by MLB

Side-by-side, here's a look at the two first pitches in question that launched the investigation.

The offering against the Mariners, just by the naked eye, wouldn't raise much suspension to me as it was just a breaking ball that came in low and outside. However, the one against the Cardinals looks quite damning, as he spun a breaking ball even further outside, and bouncing in the dirt before it ever got to the plate. If he was trying to hide his intention to throw a ball, it was not done well on that one.

Again, these pitches alone aren't enough to say with absolute certainty that Ortiz had any connection to betting on baseball and the results of those throws. At the same time, because the investigation started because a "betting-integrity firm" saw unusual betting activity on these exact pitches, it's not hard to understand why MLB saw red flags and has now started to take action as they look into the matter.

The 26-year-old Ortiz has been in Major League Baseball for more than three years now, debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. He spent parts of three seasons there before landing with the Guardians for the 2025 campaign. Through 16 starts, he holds a 4-9 record with a 4.36 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 88.2 innings pitched.

We don't have any more info than what's already being offered about the investigation but, with what we do know and now seeing these two pitches, it's definitely understandable why MLB is making an effort to see if there was something nefarious as play. The evidence is circumstantial for now, but we'll see if they find any more connections moving forward from here.