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CLEVELAND, Ohio — In 2023, Emmanuel Clase not only was on his way to becoming the Guardians’ all-time saves leader, he also was giving insider information to gamblers on when he would throw rigged pitches during games, federal prosecutors say. From 2023 through 2025, rigged pitches thrown by Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz allowed gamblers to earn approximately $450,000, according to a federal indictment filed Sunday. The charges say Clase and Ortiz profited from those pitches in the forms of kickbacks and bribes. More Guardians coverage Athletics’ Nick Kurtz wins AL Rookie of the Year award, Braves’ Drake Baldwin wins NL honor MLB, sportsbook partners restrict bets on individual pitches in response to Emmanuel Clase-Luis Ortiz investigation What a 23-page federal indictment claims about how Emmanuel Clase betrayed baseball while dominating as MLB’s best closer Prosecutors from the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York brought these charges against the two Guardians pitchers on Sunday. Major League Baseball has been investigating them since July when they were put on paid leave. Clase and Ortiz could face 65 years in federal prison on the charges. A lifetime ban from baseball may await them as well when MLB finishes its investigation and Commissioner Rob Manfred makes a ruling. *** Here is what transpired, according to details provided in the 23-page indictment: Clase started throwing rigged pitches for profit in April of 2023. In 2025, he brought Ortiz into the scam after the Guardians acquired him from Pittsburgh following the 2024 season. Here’s how the scam worked: Clase told individuals, listed as “Bettor 1″ and “Bettor 2,″ what kind of pitch he’d throw so they and others could make bets on those pitches with at least two legal sportsbooks where they had accounts. Prop bets allow bettors to wager on specific elements of the game based on a player’s individual performance. Micro-bets are wagers on individual plays in a game, such as a pitch. Clase and his co-conspirators often agreed that he would throw a ball (instead of a strike) on his first pitch. He would also throw his slider, a slower pitch than his cut fastball, to allow bettors to bet on pitches below the speed registered on the betting platform. Bettor 1 and Bettor 2, according to the indictment, along with others made hundreds of illegal bets based on inside information supplied by Clase. The identities of Bettor 1 and Bettor 2 are known to authorities through grand jury testimony. At least one of them is from the Dominican Republic, the native country of Clase and Ortiz. On May 19, 2023, in a game against the Mets, Clase gave Bettor 1 specific information in advance on a pitch he intended to throw in the game. Bettor 1 and others won approximately $27,000 by wagering that Clase would throw a pitch above 94.85 mph. On June 3, 2023 in a game against the Twins, Bettor 1, based on advance information from Clase, and others won $38,000 when Clase not only threw a ball instead of a strike, but threw the pitch below 94.55 mph. In April of 2025, the indictment said Clase requested and received bribes and kickbacks for throwing specific pitches. In a mid-April game, Bettor 1 won $15,000 by making several bets on a Clase pitch. After the game, Clase reached out to Bettor 1 by text and asked if he was able to “wager anything.” Bettor 1 said he had and Clase told him to “send some of it to the DR (Dominican Republic).” Clase gave the name of a person to send the money to and told Bettor 1 to “[s]end it as if it were someone else.” Clase also told Bettor 1 that the money was “for repairs at the country house.” Clase and Bettor 1 met at his home in Cleveland at least twice to discuss strategy on how and when Clase would fix pitches. Occasionally, Clase would use his cellphone during games to tell his co-conspirators what pitch to bet on. The use of cellphones during games by uniformed personnel is against MLB rules. On May 17, 2025 against the Reds in a game that started at 6:40 p.m. At 8:24 p.m., Clase sent a text message to Bettor 1 that said “ready.” Bettor 1 said yes. Ten minutes later Bettor 1, Bettor 2 and others won $10,000 by placing multiple bets that Clase’s pitch would be a ball and slower than 97.95 mph. A few days later, Clase sent Bettor 1 a text message with bank account information saying, “[l]et me know when you send the thing.” Bettor I responded, “I will start with 2,000 ($2,000).” Thereafter, Bettor 1 corresponded with an associate of Clase in the Dominican Republic. Not all of Clase’s deception reaped rewards. In a game against the Dodgers in May, Bettor 1 sent a text message to Clase before the 1:10 p.m. game asking if he was “all set.” Clase said yes. At 3:36 p.m., with the game under way, Bettor 1 and Bettor 2 each placed bets totaling $4,000 that a pitch thrown by Clase would be a ball or a hit by pitch. The pitch appeared to be a ball, but the batter swung and missed for a strike. Bettor 1 texted Clase a GIF image of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase sent Bettor 1 a GIF image of a “puppy dog” face. Sometime in June, Clase played matchmaker between Ortiz, Bettor 1 and Bettor 2 to join the scam. Ortiz received $5,000 for throwing a ball on the first pitch of the second inning in a game against Seattle on June 15, 2025. Clase received $5,000 for “coordinating.” Bettor 1 and Bettor 2 bet a combined $13,000 on Ortiz’s pitch and won an estimated $26,000. Bettor 1 transferred $10,000, representing the bribe payments to Clase and Ortiz, to various people in the Dominican Republic through an associate of Clase. When an Ortiz associate received a partial payment on the bribe in the Dominican Republic, he was told to lie about what the money was for. Clase told Ortiz to tell his associate “Tell him that this is payment for a horse. You got that?” Ortiz said, “Okay, perfect.” On June 27, the team of Ortiz and Clase struck again. Ortiz agreed to throw a ball on the first pitch of the third inning against St. Louis for a payment of $7,000. Clase would receive $7,000 as well for arranging the deal. Before the June 27 game, prosecutors say bank security footage showed Clase withdrawing $50,000. He gave $15,000 of that to Bettor 1 to bet on Ortiz’s pitch. Bettors 1, 2 and others bet $18,000 on Ortiz’s pitch and received a payout of $37,000. Bettors won $60,000 on Ortiz’s two rigged pitches. *** Ortiz did not throw another pitch for the Guardians. On July 3, his next scheduled start, he was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as MLB began its investigation. On July 28, Clase joined Ortiz on paid leave. “Professional athletes, like Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz hold a position of trust — not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play,” said U. S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. “As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches. In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime.” Ortiz was arrested Sunday at Logan Airport by the FBI in Boston. He was in court Monday and was granted his release after posting bail of $500,000. Ortiz was also ordered to surrender his passport and restrict his travel to the northeastern part of the United States. Clase is still not in custody. The lawyers for Clase and Ortiz say their clients are innocent.
