Prosecutors claim Emmanuel Clase rigged pitch in 2024 MLB playoffs
Prosecutors claim Emmanuel Clase rigged pitch in 2024 MLB playoffs
Jack BaerSat, February 14, 2026 at 12:09 AM UTC
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The pitch-rigging scandal keeps getting bigger for Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a 29-page indictment providing further insight into the mechanics of the alleged pitch-rigging system involving Clase according to The Athletic, as well as more examples in which he's accused of intentionally throwing balls to ensure his co-conspirators' prop bets cashed.
One such example is particularly bad: Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS. Clase had previously been only accused of rigging pitches in the regular season.
Clase entered that game with a 7-0 lead and the Guardians ultimately beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in the series.
In total, prosecutors reportedly claimed to have identified 15 times from 2023 to 2025 in which Clase allegedly threw pitches to help bettors win their prop bets, as well as three occasions in which he planned to do so but never entered the game. That's actually far less than a previously reported total of 48 in a different legal filing.
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Clase would allegedly communicate with co-conspirators in code via text message. You can probably crack the cipher, via The Athletic:
“Throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight.”
“Yes, of course, that’s an easy toss to that rooster,” [Clase] responded. If there was any confusion, he followed up again later. He would throw it “low.”
In addition to Clase, Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is accused of similar actions during the 2025 season. Both men face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. They have pleaded not guilty.
Emmanuel Clase faces decades in prison if found guilty in his pitch-rigging trial. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Clase's co-conspirators are alleged to have won at least $450,000 with their system, with Clase and Ortiz receiving kickbacks. Of course, those numbers are far less than the $4.9 million salary Clase was receiving from the Guardians in 2025.
Clase has claimed innocence via his attorney:
“Emmanuel Clase is innocent and denies all allegations in the superseding indictment,” Michael Ferrara, the lawyer for Clase, said. “While we remain disappointed in the flawed views of the evidence and rush to judgment that led to these charges, we look forward to clearing his name at trial where the full facts and circumstances of the case will be revealed.”
A third man, Robinson Vasquez Germosen, has also reportedly been hit with federal charges for allegedly working as the middleman for Clase.
Clase and Ortiz are scheduled to face trial in May and face decades in prison if found guilty. Even if they avoid a significant prison sentence, there's also the matter of MLB discipline, as they face a lifetime ban from baseball, pending the league's investigation into the allegations.
Source: “AOL Sports”
