Guardians Emmanuel Clase Allegedly Texted, Called Co-Conspirators During Games With Sports Betting Information and Bet on Own Rigged Pitches

• Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are being charged for alleged roles in a sports betting and money laundering conspiracy
• According to an indictment, Clase allegedly texted, called co-conspirators during games with information on pitches he would throw
• Clase typically threw balls on slower sliders during first pitches of at bats so co-conspirators could bet on ball calls and speed

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According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, Clase allegedly would share in-game information through phone calls, texts with co-conspirators about what pitches he would throw during certain situations and placed bets on himself to throw rigged pitches.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Sunday that Clase and Ortiz were charged in a sports betting and money laundering conspiracy, as the pitchers allegedly rigged pitches during the MLB season and shared information with corrupt sports bettors.

The members of the sports betting ring won at least $450,000 on pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz from 2023 through 2025, with Clase often calling the co-conspirators during the middle of a game to confirm bets had been placed and when he would throw the rigged pitches.

In-Game Texts, Calls Were Common

Clase, a star reliever for the Guardians, was placed on non-disciplinary leave in July per an agreement with the Players Association and never returned to the Guardians this season. Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3 and also never returned to the team.

According to the indictment, Clase preferred to throw rigged pitches during the first pitch of at-bats, often throwing slower sliders rather than his quicker cutter. Clase would typically spike balls into the dirt well before home plate, ensuring the pitches would be called balls.

He would often text or call co-conspirators during games to coordinate bets during certain moments. MLB has rules against cell phone or telephone use during games, which Clase would disregard.

For example, during a May 17, 2025 games against the Cincinnati Reds that began at 6:40 p.m., Clase sent a text to a co-conspirator at approximately 8:24 p.m. asking if he was “ready,” to which the bettor responded “but of course.”

Ten minutes later, several bettors placed multiple bets on an online sports betting platform that Clase would throw a ball slower than 97.95 MPH during the first pitch of an at-bat. Clase threw a slider slower than 97.95 MPH and into the dirt, winning the bettors approximately $10,000 on the pitch.

The indictment includes several photographs of fraudulent pitches from Clase. The pitch from May 17, 2025, can be seen below.

Additionally, the members of the sports betting ring would often place parlay bets on Clase pitches for greater profits. Between 2023 and 2025, one co-conspirator placed approximately 16 parlay bets in which one leg of each parlay was that eight specific pitches from Clase would be a ball.

The parlay was successful for seven of eight legs, but on the eighth a batter swung at a pitch thrown by Clase that was outside the strike zone.

In one instance, on May 28, 2025, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers a co-conspirator sent Clase a text prior to the first pitch of the game asking if he was “all set.” Clase responded “yes.” At approximately 3:36 p.m., two bettors placed wagers totaling approximately $4,000, which included a parlay bet, that a pitch by Clase would be a ball.

Clase threw a pitch that appeared to be a ball, but the hitter swung, resulting in a strike and the bettors to lose their wagers.

Twenty minutes later, one co-conspirator sent Clase a .gif of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Even though the Guardians won the game, Clase sent the co-conspirator a text back 10 minutes later with a .gif image of a “sad puppy dog face.”

Clase Allegedly Placed Wagers on Himself

According to the indictment, Clase allegedly would provide co-conspirators with money to place bets on his own rigged pitches. On May 13, 2025, Clase had a conversation with a co-conspirator about how much money he could send for the co-conspirator to make a bet on his behalf.

The following conversation took place by text message:

Co-conspirator: “Send it there if you can.”

Clase: “Okay. How much do I send?”

Co-conspirator: “However much you can, $2,500 and under.”

Clase: “Okay.”

Later that day, Clase electronically transferred $2,500 to the co-conspirator. During a Guardians game on the same day, Clase threw a first-pitch ball to the first hitter he faced, winning several bettors approximately $3,500. One of the co-conspirators visited Clase’s Ohio home after the game as well.

Ortiz Joined Ring in June 2025

Around June 30, 2025, Ortiz joined the sports betting ring. Clase coordinator information between Ortiz and a co-conspirator, who in turn coordinated information with the rest of the sports betting ring.

For his coordination role, Clase requested and received money from the sports betting ring.

The first such incident occurred on June 15, 2025, with Ortiz scheduled to start a game against the Seattle Mariners. In exchange for $5,000, Ortiz agreed the first pitch of the second inning would be a ball. Clase also received $5,000 for coordinating the scheme.

Approximately $13,000 was placed on two online sports betting platforms that the pitch would be ball, winning the sports betting ring about $26,000.

Overall, the sports betting ring won at least $60,000 on pitches thrown by Ortiz in June before he was placed on leave by the team.

Ortiz, Clase Face Several Criminal Counts

According to the indictment, Clase and Ortiz face four criminal counts for their actions. They face the following counts:

• Wire fraud conspiracy
• Honest services wire fraud conspiracy
• Conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery
• Money laundering conspiracy

If convicted, according to the Department of Justice each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count, 20 years’ imprisonment on the honest services wire fraud conspiracy count, five years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery count, and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.