In the latest twist involving Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and a complicated, alleged pitch-rigging operation, Clase has been accused of participating in the illegal scheme during the 2024 postseason, according to The Athletic.
That rigged pitch — per prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which the outlet cited from a 29-page indictment revealed Friday — occurred during the ninth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS against the Tigers, when Clase threw a perfect frame and tossed five of his eight pitches for strikes.
It’s unclear which of the three balls he rigged.
Clase’s first pitch of the inning to Detroit’s Matt Vierling was a ball that he spiked in front of the plate, while he also opened the final at-bat of the frame to Colt Keith with a pair of balls.
The attorney for Luis Ortiz, Clase’s Guardians teammate and an alleged co-conspirator in the betting scheme, accused Clase of rigging pitches in at least 48 games, while The Athletic reported that prosecutors have pinpointed 15 games from 2023-25 where pitch-rigging occurred.
There were allegedly three other times where Clase planned to throw a rigged pitch but didn’t enter the game, according to The Athletic, citing the indictment.
“Emmanuel Clase is innocent and denies all allegations in the superseding indictment,” Michael Ferrara, his lawyer, said in a statement, according to The Athletic. “While we remain disappointed in the flawed views of the evidence and rush to judgment that led to these charges, we look forward to clearing his name at trial where the full facts and circumstances of the case will be revealed.”
Clase, according to the indictment, also used words such as “rooster” and “chicken” dating back to June 2023 messages to mask his alleged participation in the scheme, which were purported references to the betting scheme even though Clase was involved with rooster fighting in his native Dominican Republic, according to The Athletic.
“Throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight,” a message to Clase before a May 18 game against the Reds stated, according to The Athletic.
“Yes, of course, that’s an easy toss to that rooster,” Clase replied, the outlet added.
Clase, along with Ortiz, went on non-disciplinary paid leave in July as part of the gambling investigation, and the pair were officially indicted in November.
Christos N. Georgalis, the lawyer for Ortiz, recently called his client “a victim of Clase’s scheme, rather than a knowing and willing participant” and asked for the cases to be broken up.
Bettors allegedly won $460,000 from the rigged pitches, prosecutors previously alleged.
Clase and Ortiz, who remain on non-disciplinary paid leave, aren’t allowed to report to spring training, and the former’s trial is set for May 4 in Brooklyn.
