Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase may not have restricted his pitch rigging to the regular season.
Federal prosecutors have alleged that Clase rigged a pitch during Game One of the 2024 ALDS against the Tigers, intentionally throwing a pitch outside the strike zone and slower than 99.45 mph. The new documents, which added another co-defendant, also allege that Clase used code words in text messages and funneled money through a third party. Clase, for his part, contends that the code words are in reference to cockfighting, which is still legal in the Dominican Republic.
Both Clase and fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz have maintained their innocence throughout the investigation. Attorneys for both pitchers say that multiple witnesses have sworn that they never coordinated wagers or received inside information from Clase and Ortiz.
Rough 2024 postseason for Emmanuel Clase deserves more scrutiny
Clase had one of the best seasons of any reliever in major league history in 2024. He posted a 0.61 ERA and a 0.659 WHIP over his 74.1 innings, notching an AL-leading 47 saves while striking out 66 batters with 10 walks. Clase finished third in the AL Cy Young balloting and 11th in the AL MVP vote.
He was a completely different pitcher in the postseason. Clase allowed eight runs on 12 hits and a walk over eight innings between the ALDS and ALCS, taking a pair of losses. At the time, it was fair to wonder if his heavy workload had caught up as 2024 marked the fourth consecutive year that he appeared in more than 70 games in a season.
Instead, these new allegations throw a different light on Clase’s performance. His struggles could have been the result of the alleged betting scheme, even if only one pitch is being called into question thus far.
