Bo Naylor Says Clase and Ortiz Pitches Looked Normal

Former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor defended the pitching performances of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz during testimony Thursday in New York, saying the deliveries under investigation appeared routine. Speaking on the second day of a federal trial, Naylor said he noticed nothing unusual about the pitches prosecutors allege were manipulated to benefit bettors.

Naylor, who testified for the defense, reviewed video footage of several deliveries presented by prosecutors. He had caught many of those pitches and described them as ordinary sliders outside the strike zone.

According to Naylor, scouting reports on the hitters Ortiz faced during the two disputed pitches identified low-and-away sliders as an effective approach.

"Weapon" was the term used in the scouting reports to describe the pitch's potential effectiveness, according to Naylor's testimony.

Naylor specifically discussed a June 27, 2025, game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He caught Ortiz for 14 of the pitcher's 16 starts that season, including the game in which prosecutors allege Ortiz intentionally threw a ball to Pedro Pages with the first pitch of the bottom of the third inning.

When questioned by Paul Flannery, one of Ortiz's attorneys, Naylor described the delivery as follows:

"Slider low and away," Naylor testified.

Naylor also addressed allegations involving Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year. The former catcher had received seven of the 18 pitches Clase allegedly manipulated across 17 games between May 19, 2023, and May 28, 2025.

He told the court that none of those deliveries stood out as remarkable or inconsistent with normal pitching. Naylor also said he did not know that individual pitch outcomes and speeds were available for wagering until the investigation became public.

Regarding the possibility of sharing confidential team information, Naylor acknowledged the seriousness of such conduct.

"Betrayal" was how Naylor characterized sharing inside team information with outsiders, while adding that he had not suspected Clase or Ortiz of violating that trust.

Government witness Edward Canario provided a different account during afternoon testimony. He said he used information supplied by co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez to place wagers on Clase's pitches during May and June 2023.

Canario testified through an interpreter that Paca Méndez instructed him to keep the information confidential. He also said the two shared the financial proceeds differently.

According to Canario, he transferred half of the profits to Paca Méndez but personally absorbed all losses. He said the information influenced the amounts he placed on certain pitches.

"Because I had inside information on these pitches," Canario explained when describing why he sometimes committed larger amounts.

Canario also testified that he faced charges involving the use of confidential information and had signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in exchange for providing evidence.

"Telling the facts" was how Canario described his obligation under the agreement with the government.

During cross-examination, defense attorneys challenged his account of the information he received. Canario acknowledged that Paca Méndez never explicitly claimed to possess inside information.

Instead, Canario said Paca Méndez described the opportunities as:

"For-sure bets," Canario testified.

Canario also said Paca Méndez was living with Clase in Cleveland during the period in question. He recalled participating in a video conference with both men.

Earlier testimony from Joel Trella, director of DraftKings' special investigations unit, identified 160 geolocation signals from accounts used at Clase's residence. A government attorney separately told the court that 14 people had been geolocated at the property.

Paca Méndez is not participating in the current proceedings after being extradited from the Dominican Republic to the United States on October 19.

Clase and Ortiz were indicted in November 2025. Both face charges of conspiracy to commit wire and honest services fraud, sports bribery, and money laundering.

Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto said the trial is expected to continue through December 3.