Andy Pages' role in Guardians betting scandal is so unbelievable it's kind of funny

Another betting story tied to the Los Angeles Dodgers?! This time, Dodgers haters can't theorize LA was up to something nefarious. And the reason is absolutely hilarious.

Guardians starter Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3 in connection to a gambling probe, and Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase followed not long after for the same reason. Sporadic and vague updates throughout the rest of the season, along with some amateur internet sleuths doing what they do best, slowly made it seem very possible that whatever the pitchers were up to was going to be a massive story.

On Sunday, Jeff Passan reported that Ortiz and Clase had been indicted on wire fraud conspiracy, "honest services" wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. If found guilty on all counts, they could face up to 65 years in prison.

The Eastern District of New York's 23-page indictment is thorough, and it contains an anecdote from the Dodgers and Guardians' May 28 game.

Clase entered in the ninth with the Guardians up by three to face his first batter, Andy Pages. The scheme that he and Ortiz were allegedly a part of hinged on bettors putting money on any given pitch being a ball or a strike. Clase and Ortiz allegedly intentionally threw balls to ensure payouts for bettors and ensure their own (small) cut of the earnings.

Clase was supposed to throw a first-pitch ball to Pages, and he did his absolute best to, sending a slider right into the dirt. Pages wasn't supposed to swing at it, because a good major league player most likely wouldn't swing at it.

Pages swung, and what was supposed to be a ball was a strike. It cost a bettor $4,000.

Dodgers' Andy Pages unwittingly finds himself involved in Guardians betting scandal after egregious swing

The aforementioned internet sleuths had put together video compilations of first-pitch balls thrown by Clase before the indictment, and Dodgers fans were quick to notice that Pages was one of the only (if not the only) batter to ever swing at an intentionally botched pitch from Clase.

Pages was having a decent May after a terrible April, but he still finished the season with the second-most strikeouts of any Dodgers hitter and the worst walk rate of qualified hitters.

For Pages to swing at such an egregious pitch that it cost people actual thousands of dollars, and as a result ended up in a 23-page legal brief that might get two pitchers sent to prison for the rest of their lives? Couldn't write a funnier story.

If Pages isn't used as trade fodder this offseason, there's perhaps never been a clearer sign that a team needs to work with a hitter on his plate discipline.