Rigging Gone Wrong

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Face Charges for Allegedly Rigging Pitches

Photo by Michal Parzuchowski on Unsplash

On Sunday, Nov. 9th, the sports world received shocking news as two more professional athletes were charged with being involved in a betting scandal. This time, it was the Cleveland Guardians pitchers’ Emmauel Clase and Luis Ortiz of the MLB that are being formally charged with fraud, conspiracy and bribery as they have been accused of rigging pitches which led to gamblers winning thousands of dollars.

The start of this alleged betting scandal can be traced all the way back to as early as a May 2023 Guardians game against the New York Mets, where bettors won 27 thousand dollars after Clase told them he would throw a pitch faster than 94.95 miles per hour (mph). From that point on, there have been many documented moments of Clase purposely throwing certain pitch types outside of the strike zone on the first pitch of at-bats. There is also alleged evidence that Clase would communicate with his bettors mid-game on what to place their bets on. Using this information, the bettors would bet on these pitches in a parlay to be balls and to be under a certain speed, and in turn make even more money. Ortiz’s involvement would come later on when he was traded to the Guardians in Dec. 2024. His first documented moment of his involvement was recorded in June 2025, where he agreed with Clase to throw a ball for the first pitch of an inning for five thousand dollars.

Clase and Ortiz provided the bettors with the money which they would wager their pitches on. In total, Clase’s bettors made around 700 thousand dollars from betting on his pitches, while Ortiz’s bettors only made around 60 thousand. As a pair, Clase and Ortiz made a combined 450 thousand dollars through their own gambling of their pitches through sports betting apps. Evidence shows that both Clase and Ortiz claim they used the money they won for lawful activities in the Dominican Republic, like paying for repairs of a country house, as they are natives to the country. 

As of right now, both Clase and Ortiz are fighting in court for their innocence as they plead not guilty to their charges. However, if they are found guilty on all charges, their consequences could end their lives. First, they could face up to 65 years in prison: 20 for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 for honest services wire fraud conspiracy, 20 for money laundering conspiracy and 5 for conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery. Second, they could face a lifetime ban from the MLB as their gambling policy is very strict. Many players have received a ban for gambling in the past, such as the MLB’s all time hits leader Pete Rose, who agreed to a lifetime ban from the sport in 1989 due to him betting on games.

Clase and Ortiz will be back in court on Dec. 2, continuing their ongoing legal process. Both hope the charges can be dropped as innocence means the chance to play again.