Guardians Pitchers Fraud Trial Opens in Brooklyn as Kedai Makan Moves

Opening statements began Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court in the sports-betting fraud trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, while in Seattle, Malaysian restaurant Kedai Makan announced it will conclude its three-year run at 15th and Pine on November 15 while continuing service in Belltown.

Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys Clash as Clase and Ortiz Fraud Trial Opens in Brooklyn

In federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola told jurors during opening statements that Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, 28, and Luis Ortiz, 27, provided inside information on upcoming pitches to sports bettors, enabling gamblers to profit at least $460,000 on ball-or-strike prop bets, according to KCBS Radio and the Associated Press.

Clase—a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year who had completed the fourth season of a 5-year, $20 million contract—and Ortiz, a starting pitcher who earned $782,600 in 2025, have pleaded not guilty and remain on unpaid non-disciplinary leave following their November 2025 arrests. Prosecutors alleged Clase began sharing pitch tips in early 2023 after meeting 41-year-old gambler Enoc Pena in the Dominican Republic when Clase was 25, recruited Ortiz in 2025, and used code words in text messages.

Defense attorneys countered that both pitchers are innocent. Clase's lawyer, Michael Bronson, noted that Clase left school at age 15 to pursue baseball and argued that Pena—who placed more than 7,000 bets between 2023 and 2025 and lost more than 200 wagers on Clase's pitches—fabricated claims of inside access. Ortiz's attorney, Samuel Landes, told jurors that only two pitches, both balls, are at issue for Ortiz, who had received $1.7 million in advance for future contracts and would never risk his career for an alleged $5,000 payment.

Seattle's Kedai Makan to Close 1449 E Pine Restaurant on Nov. 15 While Keeping Belltown Open

In Seattle, Malaysian restaurant Kedai Makan announced that Sunday, November 15, 2026, will be its final day of service at 1449 E Pine on Capitol Hill, concluding a three-year—3-year—stay at the corner of 15th and Pine while its Belltown restaurant on 1st Avenue remains open, Hoodline reported.

Founded about 15 years ago as a Broadway farmers market stand by Kevin Burzell and Alysson Wilson before moving to E Olive Way, Kedai Makan was reopened at 15th and Pine in 2023 by Khampaeng "KP" Panyathong, Joe Ye, and Lucy Ye, who became sole owners in 2025 and expanded into the former Lai Rai space in Belltown in 2024. The 1449 E Pine space previously housed Le Zinc, Naka, Adana, and Plenty of Clouds (which opened in 2018), while nearby Capitol Hill venues saw Sakana Sushi and Coché Valley open in 2023 alongside closures at The Jilted Siren in December 2024, Stateside in August 2025, and Skillet's E Union diner in November 2025.