Prosecutors narrow Emmanuel Clase micro-betting case to 18 pitches ahead of November trial

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have trimmed the Clase case to 18 pitches over a two-year period, with a separate focus on two alleged rigged pitches from Luis Ortiz. For high-risk payments and betting operators, the important part is the mechanics: alleged use of intermediary financial conduits, straw bettors and code words, not just the baseball itself.

1. According to a memo dated 18 Sept., prosecutors plan to present evidence at the November trial centered on 18 pitches thrown by Emmanuel Clase and two alleged rigged pitches from Ortiz. The original scope was broader: in February, Ortiz’s attorneys said prosecutors had accused Clase of throwing suspicious pitches in at least 48 games.
2. The case stems from charges brought against Clase, Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz and another defendant in what prosecutors describe as a white-collar scheme involving money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy. The indictment was unsealed last November, 10 days after the end of the World Series, and the allegations now heading to trial have been narrowed to 17 contests.
3. Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, wrote that the government intends to show why the defendants allegedly went to “great lengths” to conceal their pitch-rigging efforts and their association with certain bettors, including the use of intermediary financial conduits, straw bettors and code words to communicate rigged pitches.
4. Prosecutors allege the pitchers rigged the pitches before taking the mound and then passed material non-public information to co-conspirators, who used that information to place at least a hundred wagers on the pitches. Clase and Ortiz each face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, although federal sentencing guidelines reportedly point to a range of 87 months to 104 months per defendant.
5. Clase has been on non-disciplinary leave from the Cleveland Guardians since July 2025. The team is currently chasing a playoff spot and sits atop the AL Central despite losing one of MLB’s most dominant relievers, a two-time league reliever of the year who led the AL in saves in three separate seasons.

The first alleged incident in the filing dates back to 19 May 2023, when the Guardians played the New York Mets in Flushing. Prosecutors say Clase opened the bottom of the 10th inning with a 98-mph cutter to Starling Marte, one of the pitches now part of the narrowed trial record.