It Was Roosters, Not Baseball: Gambler’s Sworn Claim in Emmanuel Clase Probe

Posted on: January 13, 2026, 09:11h. 

Last updated on: January 13, 2026, 09:41h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • Court documents claim Emmanuel Clase and a gambler were texting about cockfighting, not MLB pitching
  • Gambling trial involving Cleveland Guardians’ pitchers set for May
  • Cockfighting is legal and hugely popular in Clase’s home country, the Dominican Republic

The court case looking into whether Cleveland Guardians’ relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase worked with gamblers to manipulate his pitching performances on the mound and feeding that information to sports bettors so they could take in hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling winnings, just took a turn for the bizarre.

Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians pitches against the Athletics in an MLB game last June in Sacramento, Calif. (Image: Scott Marshall/Getty Images)

According to a New York Times story, a gambler involved in the case — whom federal prosecutors allege was exchanging text messages with Clase in which the pitcher would tip him off on what he would be throwing — said the text messages weren’t about pitching at all. They were actually about gambling on cockfighting in the Dominican Republic, where Clase is from.

Cockfighting Operation

Cockfighting, known locally as “pelea de gallos,” where two specially bred roosters fight it out in a blood sport, is both legal and hugely popular in that country, and is deeply rooted in the culture, going back centuries. There is heavy betting involved in the events, some of which are held in dedicated arenas.

Federal prosecutors in the Clase case allege he was exchanging text messages about his pitching with gamblers for two years. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings were claimed by the gamblers in the illicit operation.

Risks in Micro Betting

In the Times story, which referenced court documents, one of the gamblers said Clase actually ran a cockfighting operation in his home country. The bettor wasn’t named in the court documents filed by lawyers representing both Clase and fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who is also accused of having manipulated his pitching performances for gambling purposes.

Prosecutors allege the two pitchers betrayed baseball. The defense says prosecutors misinterpreted the messages, thinking they were code words for gambling on baseball. The gambler said he never discussed pitches with Clase.

The trial is scheduled for May. 

Wire Fraud Charges

As we’ve written previously, the trial is shedding light on the proliferation of prop bets and microbets, and the risks inherent in that type of sports betting. Microbetting really gets into the weeds of a player’s performance — in the case of MLB — putting money down on specific pitches a pitcher will be throwing.

The pitchers face charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches, including purposefully throwing balls into the dirt during MLB games. Ortiz and Clase are also accused of having cashed in on these bets.

New MLB Policy

According to Times reporting, when Clase told the gambler via text to send some of the winnings from a bet on the speed of one of Clase’s pitches in an MLB game back to the Dominican Republic, the gambler said those proceeds were intended for the cockfighting operation.

A November statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York says Clase allegedly withdrew $50K in cash and provided $15K to a co-conspirator before an MLB game on June 27, 2025. The co-conspirator allegedly used the money to wager on a rigged pitch by Ortiz in that game. By rigging pitches for bribes, Ortiz allegedly caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $60K in fraudulent wagers.

MLB has already set a new policy in partnership with sportsbooks in response to all of this, implementing a $200 wagering limit on microbetting around pitches during games, as well as prohibiting these types of bets from being included in parlays.

Rigged Pitches for Bribes

If convicted, both Clase and Ortiz face 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.

Neither Clase nor Ortiz has been suspended by MLB. Both are on nondisciplinary paid leave “until further notice.”