Guardians' Clase allegedly rigged pitches in 48 games, document says - ESPN

Indicted Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches to benefit bettors in at least 48 games over two years, significantly more than was initially revealed by federal prosecutors, according to a court document filed Thursday.

Federal prosecutors listed nine games in which Clase allegedly threw rigged pitches in the indictment unsealed in November, but teammate and alleged co-conspirator Luis Ortiz's attorney wrote in a filing that the government is accusing Clase of manipulating his performance in dozens of games.

ESPN has reached out to attorneys for Clase and Ortiz, as well as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which is prosecuting the case. Major League Baseball referred ESPN to its initial statement in which it said it was cooperating with federal prosecutors and declined further comment.

Ortiz's attorney, Christos N. Georgalis, asked in the filing for his client's case to be severed from Clase's, arguing that Ortiz and Clase have «markedly different levels of culpability» and his client could not receive a fair trial otherwise.

Federal prosecutors accused Ortiz of rigging pitches in two games in June 2025, while Clase allegedly conspired with bettors from 2023 to 2025, according to the indictment. In Thursday's filing, Ortiz's attorney pointed to this difference in scale and emphasized that the indictment did not contain evidence of Ortiz communicating directly with bettors.

Georgalis argued that a jury presented «with 26 months of alleged criminal conduct by Mr. Clase — including suspect pitches during 48 games, dozens of communications with [a bettor], cash transfers and coordination of illegal wagers» could find Ortiz guilty by association.

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