Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz were indicted on Sunday on federal charges related to a gambling scheme. The allegations involve manipulating pitch outcomes for bets on velocity and ball-strike calls. Both players face up to 65 years in prison if convicted.
On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz, pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. The pitchers, already suspended and under MLB investigation, are accused of manipulating pitch outcomes on multiple occasions to benefit gamblers, receiving payments in return. The bets focused on the velocity of specific pitches or whether a pitch would be called a ball or strike.
Clase, a key reliever, was set to earn $4.9 million this season, $6.4 million next season, and had $20 million in options for 2027 and 2028. He allegedly received kickbacks of about $5,000 per incident. MLB banned or suspended four players last year for illegal gambling, but none involved throwing games. This case is expected to serve as a deterrent, with the pitchers' careers likely over and potential long prison sentences.
MLB's senior vice president of business operations, Casey Brett, emphasized vigilance in a 2023 CBS Sports interview: "[Sports books] are required to help us with investigations and notify us if they feel like some sort of fishy information is happening... I don't think there's ever any amount of investment that is too much to protect."
The scandal raises questions about MLB's gambling partnerships. Proposed solutions include using the case as a deterrent, maintaining strict monitoring with sports books, eliminating bets on individual pitches, removing all prop bets, or severing ties with gambling entities—though the last is deemed unlikely due to financial benefits and no widespread game impacts.