Guardians Catcher Testifies In Federal Case On Alleged Rigged Pitches
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified in a New York federal courtroom on Thursday, November 5, that he did not know about or participate in any alleged scheme to rig specific pitches thrown by teammates Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz during the 2025 season.[1]
Under questioning from prosecutors and defense attorneys, Naylor walked jurors through how he calls games, including a pitch sequence to St. Louis Cardinals hitter Pedro Pages in which he appeared to signal for a slider away, one of the offerings the government claims was manipulated for betting profit.[1] He said he was unaware that gamblers could place wagers on the outcome of individual pitches and described what he called the normal limits of command, explaining that even elite pitchers often miss their intended locations, especially with breaking balls.[1]
In earlier testimony about his working relationship with Clase, Naylor told jurors the All-Star closer generally showed stronger command of his fastball than his offspeed pitches, a detail prosecutors have seized on as they try to show that subtle changes in pitch selection or execution could be intentional rather than random.[1] Naylor also recalled seeing Clase on his cellphone frequently in the clubhouse but did not say he knew anything about gambling activity, even as prosecutors allege Clase once used his phone during a game to coordinate a specific pitch that bettors had targeted.[1]
Federal prosecutors say a betting ring made roughly $400,000 by wagering on particular pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025, arguing that the timing and success rate of those bets cannot be explained by chance alone.[1] The government has pointed to at-bats like the one against Pages to suggest that people with advance knowledge of what was coming were able to exploit rapidly expanding in-game wagering markets that now allow fans to bet on virtually every moment of a contest.[1]
Naylor's appearance underscored how the investigation is reaching beyond the players directly accused of gambling to the people around them, as prosecutors test whether the patterns they see in betting data are consistent with the messy reality of how pitches are actually called and executed. His insistence that missed spots and shaking off signs are routine in Major League Baseball could give jurors an alternative explanation for the sequences that federal agents and league investigators have flagged as suspicious, even as the broader case continues to probe whether the sport's new gambling landscape has opened the door to a more subtle form of game-fixing.[1]
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, November 5, 2026, Bo Naylor testified in New York federal court about pitches he caught from Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz in 2025.
- Naylor said he appeared to have called a slider away to Cardinals hitter Pedro Pages, one of the pitches prosecutors say was part of the alleged rigging scheme.
- He testified he was unaware bettors could wager on specific pitches and described normal pitcher-catcher game-planning and the limits of pitch command.
- Naylor told jurors Clase had better fastball command than offspeed and that he often saw Clase on his cellphone in the locker room.
- Prosecutors allege bettors won about $400,000 on wagers tied to Clase’s pitches from 2023 to 2025 and that he once used his phone midgame to coordinate a specific pitch.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time