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Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase faced additional allegations of rigging pitches to benefit bettors in a new document filed on Thursday.
Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches to benefit those who placed wagers on him in at least 48 games, according to ESPN. The initial indictment filed in November accused Clase of rigging pitches in specific games between May 2023 and June 2025.
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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Progressive Field on July 18, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
Digital reached out to Clase’s attorney for comment.
Clase pleaded not guilty to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches. He was released on $600,000 bond, surrendered his passport and was ordered to limit his travel to New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.
Clase allegedly began to request and receive bribes and kickback payments for agreeing to throw the specific pitches in April, according to the indictment. In one instance, the indictment said, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.
Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)
LOOKING BACK AT THE SPORTS GAMBLING CONTROVERSIES THROUGHOUT 2025, WITH NBA AND MLB INVESTIGATIONS LEADING WAY
Clase’s attorney, Michael Ferrara, said in October that Clase maintained his innocence.
“Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win,” he said at the time.
Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz were both implicated in the alleged scheme. Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
Ortiz’s attorney, Christos N. Georgalis, filed the document on Thursday, saying federal prosecutors are making the accusations against Clase and argued to have his client’s case be dealt with separately from Clase.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase reacts after the Guardians defeated the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
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Georgalis said a jury may be able to find Ortiz guilty by association.
’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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