Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase pleads not guilty to pitch rigging - ESPN

NEW YORK — - Cleveland Guardians star pitcher Emmanuel Clase pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches.

The 27-year-old reliever was released on $600,000 bond following his appearance in Brooklyn federal court. Clase also surrendered his passport and was ordered to limit his travel to New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.

The three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year was arrested and taken into custody earlier Thursday at John F. Kennedy Airport after arriving on a flight from his native Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Clase, dressed in a dark blazer and jeans, didn't speak in court other than to answer the judge's «yes» or «no» questions through a Spanish interpreter. He didn't comment to reporters after the proceedings.

Clase's Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz, who was also implicated in the alleged scheme, pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Both are due back in court Dec. 2.

The two pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, when MLB began investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.

According to prosecutors, the two accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help two unnamed gamblers in their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of their pitches.

They allege that Clase, who is on the fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract, began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023, but didn't ask for payoffs until earlier this year.

Prosecutors say Clase often threw the rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, making sure to throw the