Baseball is a beautiful game, but that beauty relies entirely on the trust between fans and players. Federal prosecutors just shattered that fragile trust this past Sunday when they unsealed an indictment against two active Cleveland Guardians pitchers. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the indictment was unsealed against Star closer Emmanuel Clase and his teammate, Luis Ortiz, charging both men with fraud, conspiracy, and bribery. Prosecutors say the duo took cash to intentionally rig pitches and helped gamblers win hundreds of thousands of dollars on prop bets.

And while the FBI arrested Ortiz in Boston, the alleged ringleader Emmanuel Clase is currently not in U.S. custody. Clase is reportedly safe in his hometown in the Dominican Republic. Now, a truly bizarre excuse is floating out from the island. A Twitter account named ‘Master flip’ shared that news on his post. The post read: “In an interview held by the director of CDN deportes, Frank Camilo, reporter Luis Hernández, a good friend of Emmanuel Clase, affirms that Clase has stated that the calls intercepted by the FBI were for rooster fighting and not related to illegal bets. Clase remains in Río San Juan, Dominican Republic, and is currently not under custody.”

That “rooster fighting” story seems incredibly weak against the government’s detailed case that paints Clase as the apparent ringleader of the entire conspiracy. According to Passan’s report, the whole scheme started in May 2023. Clase allegedly told bettors exactly how he would throw certain pitches, allowing them to place “prop bets” on specific in-game events.

And the 23-page indictment provided by the government includes concrete in-game examples. On May 19, 2023, Clase allegedly relayed information about an upcoming pitch.

Clase supposedly promised to throw a pitch faster than 94.95 mph against the New York Mets, and the gamblers won $27,000 from that single pitch. And weeks later, bettors won another $38,000 when Clase allegedly spiked a slider five feet in front of home plate as per Passan’s report.

Perhaps the most damaging evidence is the Prosecutors’ claim that Clase was texting with his co-conspirators during MLB games. According to the indictment, Clase “requested and received bribe and kickback payments in exchange for agreeing to throw specific pitches.”

And in one case, a batter swung at and missed one of the pitches Clase was supposed to throw as a ball. A bettor then sent Clase a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper.

And the indictment also accuses Clase of funding the illegal bets himself. Before a game on June 27, 2025, Clase allegedly withdrew $50,000 in cash and gave $15,000 of that money to one of the bettors.

This makes him an active partner, not just a participant. And it’s very hard to connect these baseball events to roosters. So, if this story is true, then Clase has resorted to painting himself as an animal abuser to protect himself.

Clase may have been the ringleader, but prosecutors say he did not act alone

This is where teammate Luis Ortiz enters the picture. The indictment claims Clase recruited Ortiz in June 2025. Ortiz was a starting pitcher, giving the scheme more opportunities, and Clase allegedly offered Ortiz quick cash to rig his own pitches.

And Ortiz’s involvement started on June 15, 2025, when he agreed to throw the first pitch of the second inning for a ball. Ortiz was paid $5,000 for this one pitch, and Clase, the middleman, also received $5,000 just for arranging the fix, as per Passan’s report.

The scheme continued. Ortiz agreed to rig another pitch on June 27, 2025. This time, he would throw the first pitch of the third inning for a ball. Prosecutors also said that after one payment, Ortiz received about 90,000 Dominican pesos (approximately $1,400).

Clase told Ortiz to lie if anyone asked about the money. Clase directed him to say, “This payment is for a horse.” And according to the indictment, Ortiz replied, “Okay, perfect.”

If these charges are proven, the players can face up to 65 years in federal prison. But their baseball careers are likely over regardless.

The FBI arrested Luis Ortiz on Sunday morning and released him on a $500,000 bond. His attorney, Chris Georgalis, strongly denied all the charges and said his client “has never… improperly influence a game.”

But Emmanuel Clase is reportedly in his hometown of Río San Juan in the Dominican Republic. Michael J. Ferrara, Clase’s attorney, also denied the accusations and stated Clase “is innocent of all charges.”

But the scandal is a complete nightmare for Major League Baseball. The league had already placed Clase and Ortiz on paid leave in July, and the Guardians organization says it is fully cooperating with the investigation.

This is not the first time Major League Baseball has faced a scandal threatening the integrity of the game. From Pete Rose’s 1989 lifetime ban for betting on games he managed, to the 2024 expulsion of Tucupita Marcano for wagering on his own team, the sport has repeatedly grappled with gambling’s corrosive influence. E

ven the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing saga shook fan confidence, though it stopped short of direct betting manipulation. Now, the allegations against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz raise the stakes even higher — prosecutors claim the pitchers conspired to rig specific pitches for cash, allowing bettors to profit from prearranged outcomes.

But the damage is already done. We now have two pitchers who are indicted, and we have a bizarre defense involving rooster fighting. This story is far from over.