MLB Fans Erupt as Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Get Charged with Sports Betting and Money Laundering After Rigging Pitches: “Threw Their Careers Away”

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if all charges are convicted.

MLB Fans Erupt as Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Get Charged with Sports Betting and Money Laundering After Rigging Pitches: “Threw Their Careers Away”

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz (Image via Bleacher Report)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were recently charged with sports betting and money laundering by the Department of Justice. MLB fans on social media would erupt after these charges were placed upon the two Cleveland Guardians stars.

The incident came to light in early July when Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave through the All-Star Break. This was later extended up to 31st August. He was alleged to have thrown two suspicious pitches against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Later that month, Clase was also placed on non-disciplinary leave. On Sunday, the 3-time MLB All-Star was indicted by the federal agencies for rigging pitches in the MLB.

As per a 23-page indictment, the 27-year-old pitcher has been involved in rigging pitches since 2023. The Dominican international would throw balls instead of strikes and use more sliders than cutters on the first pitch of an at-bat on purpose.

Bettors would place wagers on whether he would throw a ball or toss a pitch under a specific mph threshold. The relief pitcher has also been alleged to be in communication with the bettors in the middle of the games and even provided some money to them to gamble on him.

Luis Ortiz would later join Emmanuel Clase in this scheme. Ortiz, who joined the Guardians through a trade in December 2024, got started on this scandal on June 15, 2025.

The 26-year-old would allegedly throw a ball as his first pitch. He would receive $5,000 for this. Clase would receive the same amount for organizing this fraud.

A few days later, Ortiz would repeat this and once again throw a ball as the first pitch of an at-bat. This time, he would receive $7,000.

Ortiz was arrested on Sunday by the federal agencies in Boston. Clase, on the other hand, is not in custody yet. In October, he was seen preparing with the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League.

Social media reacts to Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz being charged with sports betting

The MLB world was stunned when two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were placed on non-disciplinary leave amid a sports betting investigation. The former’s name was the one that shocked the fans the most, as he was regarded as one of the best relief pitchers in the game.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz (Image via MLB/New York Post)

Since the action of the law enforcement, the MLB fans erupted on social media. Many slammed the two of them, with one writing, “threw their careers away.”

Check out that and some other top reactions of MLB fans regarding this Emmanuel Clase-Luis Ortiz situation below:

Clase, who signed a 5-year, $20 million contract extension with the team in 2022, was supposed to receive $6.4 million in the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Ortiz had a salary of $782,600 for the 2025 season.

Emmanuel Clase’ failed pitch against Andy Pages left one bettor annoyed

In the 23-page indictment, several instances of Emmanuel Clase throwing wild pitches were mentioned. One of them featured an incident regarding Los Angeles Dodgers’ star Andy Pages. Clase’ failed pitch attempt had left one of the bettors annoyed.

Emmanuel Clase and Andy Pages
Emmanuel Clase and Andy Pages (Image via Yahoo Sports)

In the game between the Dodgers and the Guardians on May 28, Clase went up against Pages in the top of the 9th inning. The Guardians were leading the game 7-4 at that moment.

One of the bettors had contacted Clase before and placed a $4,000 wager on him throwing a HBP/ball to Pages. The pitcher did throw a ball, way down in the dirt. However, Pages ended up chasing and swinging that pitch which resulted in a strike.

10 minutes after losing the bet, the bettor would text Clase and share a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase replied with a GIF of a “sad puppy dog face.” The Guardians ended up winning that game.

Clase was 5-3 this season with a 3.23 ERA in 47.1 innings before this incident came out. He and Ortiz are facing up to 65 years in prison if they are convicted of all charges that have been pressed against them.

Also Read: