A closer who has pitched 48 times and has a 3.23 ERA. A right-handed starter who had a bright future ahead of him. Now, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are facing federal charges in Brooklyn for something that goes beyond bad performance. Prosecutors say they rigged individual pitches for money. The plan was simple but very bad: throw a set pitch at a set speed, let co-conspirators bet on it, and make thousands of dollars for each pitch.

Federal prosecutors say that Ortiz got $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15 and that Emmanuel Clase got the same amount for helping him do it. The plan happened again on June 27, but this time the payments went up to $7,000 each. The Department of Justice says that both pitchers “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches,” which gave people who bet on the game inside information. Ortiz was taken into custody in Boston, but Clase is still free.

During the 2025 season, Ortiz was put on administrative leave first, and then Clase. Their suspensions lasted until the end of the regular season in late August.

MLB’s investigation started after a company that checks the integrity of betting flagged two pitches from Ortiz that drew an unusually high amount of bets on certain outcomes. Cleveland Guardians, Emmanuel Clase, who had a 3.23 ERA in 48 games before being deactivated on July 26, has not had the details of his case made public. Before going on administrative leave, Clase had a 0.7 WAR. MLB acted quickly, calling federal law enforcement right away and working closely with them throughout the investigation.

“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the MLB wrote in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”

This happened after MLB took action in 2024, when Tucupita Marcano was banned for life and four players—Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodriguez, and Andrew Saalfrank—were suspended for betting on baseball games that didn’t involve their teams. The Clase-Ortiz case is worse because the prosecutors say the defendants changed the game’s actions to make money from gambling, not just betting without permission.

Emmanuel Clase’s decorated career makes the allegations more shocking

When you look at Clase’s long career, these accusations seem even worse. Emmanuel Clase was known as one of the best closers in baseball. He was an All-Star three years in a row from 2022 to 2024 and led the American League in saves each year. The Guardians’ best reliever won the AL Reliever of the Year award twice, most recently in 2024.

His six seasons in the league were impressive: he saved 182 games and had a 1.88 ERA. These numbers showed how dominant he was, which is why he was one of the most reliable late-game options in the sport. Cleveland gave him the ball when games were on the line.

But 2025 told a different story before he was put on administrative leave, which ended his season. Clase had a 3.23 ERA over 47.1 innings and 24 saves, which is good for most closers but a big change from his usual numbers. The higher ERA more than doubled his career high, which made people wonder right away about how well he was doing.

The underlying numbers told a similar story. When Clase struck out 47 batters and walked 12, it showed that he wasn’t as consistent as he used to be, which was how he built his reputation as a pitcher. The difference between his career dominance and this season’s performance now means something else. Prosecutors say that the predetermined pitches on June 15 and June 27 weren’t mechanical failures but planned decisions that cost $5,000 and $7,000, respectively.