Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase may have been helping gamblers for longer than previously suspected.
ESPN’s David Purdum reported that a court document filed on Thursday alleges that Clase had manipulated the outcomes of pitches for at least 48 games over the past two years. Clase, along with fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, had been indicted on fraud, conspiracy and bribery charges back in November.
Lawyer Cristos N. Georgalis, who is representing Ortiz, had filed the document asking for his client’s case to be separated from Clase’s, according to Purdum. He argued that Clase’s indictment, which covered over two years, would make it impossible for Ortiz to receive a fair trial due to the drastic differences in the number of alleged incidents between the two defendants.
Scope of alleged involvement with gambling for former Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase comes to light
Clase had appeared in 197 games from the start of the 2023 season until he was placed on administrative leave in July 2025. He was a two-time All-Star in that time and finished third in the AL Cy Young vote in 2024. Clase had posted a 2.22 ERA and a 0.983 WHIP in his 194.1 innings, recording 115 saves while striking out 177 batters with 38 walks.
Despite that success, Clase reportedly had at least 250 pitches upon which bets had been placed. The court had “encouraged” the government to share that information with Clase’s attorneys.
The alleged scheme, where Clase and Ortiz received thousands of dollars, reportedly allowed gamblers in the Dominican Republic to earn at least $460,000. Clase, meanwhile, had been in the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million extension and was set to earn $4.9 million in 2025.
