Court Documents Show Emmanuel Clase Allegedly Rigged Pitches in 48 Games
Posted on: February 6, 2026, 09:11h.
Last updated on: February 6, 2026, 09:20h.
- Court filings say Emmanuel Clase allegedly rigged pitches in dozens of games
- Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz accused of working with gamblers to manipulate pitching performance during MLB games
- Trial for both pitchers set for this May
According to reporting by ESPN, court documents filed yesterday revealed that Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase, indicted in an illegal sports betting scheme and scheduled to go on trial in May, was accused of manipulating pitches for gambling purposes in 48 MLB games over a two-year period.
Clase had been accused of manipulating his pitches for prop bets purposes over nine games, according to the ESPN story, so this new number blows that one out of the water.
Clase and Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz, a starting pitcher, face charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering for their alleged roles in a gambler scheme to rig bets on pitches. Ortiz and Clase are also accused of having cashed in on these bets. Each defendant is looking at a maximum 65 years in prison if found guilty.
Rigged Pitches Thrown Into the Dirt
Clase has also been accused of providing money to bettors in advance to fund the scheme. According to the original federal indictment from last November, the defendants agreed in advance with co-conspirators on specific pitches they would throw in MLB games. The co-conspirators then used that information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets on those pitches.
That began with Clase around May 2023, the indictment said, where gamblers wagered on the speed and type of Clase pitches, based on information shared by Clase, sometimes during MLB games. Clase would often throw the rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, tossing them into the dirt, so they would be called as balls, according to the government’s case. The indictment said Clase received bribes and kickbacks from gamblers in exchange for co-operation.
May 2026 Trial
By rigging pitches over the two-year period set out in the original indictment, Clase caused his co-conspirators to win at least $400,000 in bets. Ortiz was said to have entered the scheme around June 2025.
The new number around games where Clase allegedly rigged pitches was revealed in a filing made by Luis Ortiz’s attorneys.
According to David Purdum’s reporting at ESPN, Ortiz’s lawyer had asked the court to separate his client from Clase’s case, arguing his client wouldn’t be able to get a fair trial, with a risk of guilt by association, since there was a different level of culpability, quoting the 48 number, and dozens of communications with gamblers and cash transfers to bettors.
Spring Training Around the Corner
Both Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ortiz’s lawyer has said that all money transfers were “for lawful activities”.
Both players were placed on nondisciplinary paid leave by MLB last summer. The Guardians open spring training in Arizona next week and start the new season on March 26 in Seattle against the Mariners.
MLB has already set a new policy in partnership with sportsbooks in response to the arrests, implementing a $200 wagering limit on micro-betting around pitches during games, as well as prohibiting these types of bets from being included in parlays.
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