Published on: February 6, 2026, at 09:11h.

Updated on: February 6, 2026, at 09:20h.

• Legal documents claim Emmanuel Clase allegedly tampered with pitches in a multitude of games.
• Clase, alongside teammate Luis Ortiz, is accused of cooperating with gamblers to distort pitching performance in MLB.
• Trial dates for both pitchers are scheduled for this May.

As per ESPN’s coverage, recent court records indicate that Emmanuel Clase, a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, has been implicated in an illicit sports betting operation and is set to stand trial in May. He faces allegations of manipulating his pitching during 48 MLB games spanning two years for betting purposes.

While earlier claims suggested Clase had manipulated pitches for prop bets in just nine games, this dramatic increase in the total is significant.

Clase and his teammates, including starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, face serious charges such as wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting events through bribery, and money laundering for their alleged involvement in a scheme designed to rig pitching performances for gambling. The defendants could be facing up to 65 years in prison if convicted.

Pitches Allegedly Fixed

Further accusations state that Clase financed bettors to facilitate the scheme. The initial federal indictment from November highlighted that the defendants coordinated specific pitches with their co-conspirators ahead of MLB games. This agreement allowed the conspirators to place hundreds of unauthorized bets based on insider information.

This arrangement reportedly commenced around May 2023, enabling gamblers to gamble on the type and speed of Clase’s pitches, gleaned from information shared during actual games. Clase’s modified pitches were frequently delivered as the first pitch of an at-bat, thrown intentionally low so they would be ruled as balls, as stated in the government’s case. The indictment claimed that Clase received bribes as incentives for his involvement.

Upcoming Trial in May 2026

Over the two years referenced in the indictment, Clase’s actions reportedly allowed his accomplices to earn at least $400,000 in fraudulent bets. Ortiz is said to have joined the scheme around June 2025.

The newly revealed figure regarding the games in which Clase supposedly rigged pitches emerged from filings by Ortiz’s defense attorneys.

As reported by David Purdum for ESPN, Ortiz’s attorney requested that his client be tried separately from Clase, arguing that his client deserves a fair trial without the influence of guilt by association, pointing to the substantial communications with gamblers and monetary exchanges involved.

Spring Training Approaching

Both Clase and Ortiz have maintained their innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges. Ortiz’s legal representative has claimed that all money transactions were conducted for legitimate purposes.

Last summer, both players were placed on paid leave without penalty from MLB. The Guardians are set to commence spring training in Arizona next week, with the regular season kicking off on March 26 against the Mariners in Seattle.

In response to these incidents, MLB has introduced a new policy in partnership with sports betting entities, enforcing a $200 wagering cap on micro-betting related to pitches during games, along with a ban on including such bets in parlay wagers.