In the MLB betting scandal that has led to indictments against Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, new details have emerged about the extent of the suspected rigging of pitches. The mountain of evidence prompted Ortiz’s lawyers to ask for a delay in the trial.
On Friday, prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York revealed they suspect Clase threw a rigged pitch during Game 1 of the American League Division Series in 2024.
Clase allegedly deliberately threw a pitch for a ball during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers. In that inning, he also threw a perfect frame and tossed five of his eight pitches for strikes.
Clase opened the inning with a ball to Detroit’s Matt Vierling that spiked in front of the plate. He also threw a pair of balls to Colt Keith, the final batter in the frame.
New Associate Named in Case
A new associate has also been charged in the case. Robinson Vasquez Germosen is accused of acting as an intermediary between the players and bettors.
In the indictment against Vasquez, prosecutors allege Clase provided game tickets for his fellow Dominican on at least 28 occasions, designating him as family.
The indictment includes messages sent from Vasquez to Clase, including a voice note that stated, “When you guys go to throw it, try to do about 10, 20, or 30,000, if you guys want to do that, that’s fine. But when you throw 100 and over, let me know so that we can all put down our stuff. Remember we are a team of 4 now . . . . we are all in this together. Something of 300,000 or a million if you want to do that, let’s go. Every time there is an aggressive play, count on us.”
The team of 4, prosecutors claim, consisted of Clase, Vasquez, and two unnamed bettors whom Vasquez provided with information and funds to wager on pitches Clase had agreed to rig. The indictment cites numerous transactions between Vasquez and the bettors via the Zelle app.
As well as wagering on balls, prosecutors claim the messages reveal gamblers were also betting on the speed of Clase’s pitches, such as when he throws over 100 mph.
Often, the sums of money appear small. One screenshot shows a bettor wagering $157 on Clase to throw a ball, resulting in a payout of $439.60. Clase had an annual salary of $4.5 million with the Guardians.
In total, bettors allegedly won around $400,000 wagering on Clase’s pitches, although that figure may well have been higher.
Ortiz Turns Against Clase, Requests Delay
When the indictment against Clase was first unsealed, prosecutors cited eight games in which he allegedly rigged pitches. However, lawyers for his teammate, Luis Ortiz, claim he spot-fixed in at least 48 games.
One of Ortiz’s attorneys, Christos N. Georgalis, has asked that his client’s case be severed from Clase’s, arguing that there are “markedly different levels of culpability.” Georgalis claims Ortiz cannot have a fair trial if the case is tied to all the evidence against Clase.
On Friday, another attorney for the Dominican formally requested a delay to the trial, which is currently set for May. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes told the court, “In light of the enormous amount of discovery, we will not be prepared for a May 4 trial date.”
Evidence includes terabytes of betting records and communications, much of which needs translation from Spanish to English. Ortiz’s legal team said they also need more time to locate potential witnesses in the Dominican Republic. They have asked for the trial to be delayed indefinitely as they prepare their defense.
Clase’s legal team, however, wanted to keep the May trial date. Michael Ferrara, his lawyer, continues to insist on his client’s innocence, stating, “Emmanuel Clase is innocent and denies all allegations in the superseding indictment. 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.”
The Rooster Defense
One of the unnamed bettors has claimed that rather than wagering on baseball pitches, he was betting on rooster fighting. In a court filing, the unidentified Dominican stated, “While I never discussed baseball gambling with Emmanuel in any way, I did discuss betting on rooster fighting with him. In the Dominican Republic, gambling on roosters is completely legal, and Emmanuel has a rooster-fighting operation.”
In the indictment against Vasquez, texts between him and Clase also mention roosters. On May 18, 2025, Vasquez sent a message to Clase urging him to “throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight.”
Clase replied, “Yes, of course, that’s an easy toss to that rooster.”
Prosecutors claim rooster, or “gallo” in Spanish, “was a code word used by Clase and his co-conspirators to refer to fixed pitches.”
On May 18, Clase did not play for the Guardians against the Cincinnati Reds. Prosecutors claim there were several occasions when Clase agreed to rig pitches but could not follow through because he did not enter games.
A judge will now rule on whether to delay the trial, as requested by Ortiz’s legal team. Last month, the judge granted additional time for pretrial motions (extending the filing deadline to March 13), but declined to move the trial date.
The post Update on MLB Betting Scandal: Clase Accused of Rigging Pitches in Playoffs & New Accomplice Named appeared first on CasinoBeats.
In the MLB betting scandal that has led to indictments against Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, new details have emerged about the extent of the suspected rigging of pitches. The mountain of evidence prompted Ortiz’s lawyers to ask for a delay in the trial. On Friday, prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office
The post Update on MLB Betting Scandal: Clase Accused of Rigging Pitches in Playoffs & New Accomplice Named appeared first on CasinoBeats.