Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been indicted for his alleged role in an illegal sports betting scheme, and text messages have revealed his role in it.
Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday for their alleged roles in a sports betting and money laundering conspiracy. Clase is accused of intentionally throwing balls and using certain pitch types in coordination with two sports bettors, who used the information to win prop bets on the location and velocity of Clase’s pitches. The scheme dates back to 2023, and the bettors won at least $450,000 on over 100 bets. Clase allegedly received bribes and kickbacks for taking part in the scheme.
According to the federal indictment:
— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) November 9, 2025
“With CLASE's knowledge and approval, Bettor-I, Bettor-2, and other Bettors used this information to place over a hundred fraudulent Pitch Speed and Ball/HBP straight bets and parlays on CLASE's
pitches on the Betting Platforms.” pic.twitter.com/bkU2jVhA4Y
Alleged text messages from Clase to one of the bettors are included in the indictment. In one instance, Clase confirmed with one of the bettors ten minutes before the game started that he was ready to carry out his role in the scheme that day. As agreed, Clase came into the game and threw a pitch in the dirt to start his outing. In this instance, however, the batter swung, blowing the bet.
When the bettor texted Clase to express frustration, Clase responded roughly ten minutes after the game with a “.gif image of a sad puppy dog face.”
The batter in question was Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages, who chased an obvious ball on Clase’s first pitch.
I’m crying son Andy Pages costed Emmanuel Clase 100 thousand dollars https://t.co/gTED3qpsOK pic.twitter.com/tpZrY9KELq
— 🌊 (@MIKEYSAINRISTIL) November 9, 2025
In another instance, Clase told his co-conspirators to send some of his kickback money “to DR,” presumably referring to his native Dominican Republic. He added that he planned to use some of the money “for repairs at the country house.”
The Guardians placed Clase on administrative leave in July after he became a target of the investigation, with many questionable first pitches quickly being discovered by fans.
Clase and Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He had signed a 5-year, $20 million contract extension with the Guardians in 2022.
