By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Scott Marshall/Getty Images
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been on leave since summer 2025 because of the ongoing gambling case.
It’s a messy situation for both players, who have ruined their careers by betting on games. Based on court documents filed Friday, the case has become more serious, especially for the Guardians’ closer.
Federal prosecutors have identified 18 pitches against Clase, which will be enough fuel to use against him in the case. One of those pitches came during the most important time in baseball: October. It’s the month of postseason play. The Guardians were competing against AL Central Division rivals, the Detroit Tigers, in the American League Division Series.
In the top of the ninth inning, Clase was on the mound facing hitter Matt Vierling. Clase threw a slider, and it was outside the strike zone. This is one of the pitches in question. The Guardians won 7-0, but the repercussions for Clase are no joke. The closer is accused of sharing information about the kind of pitches he will throw in advance to bettors.
All of Clase’s lousy decisions took place from May 19, 2023, to May 28, 2025. It’s an embarrassing look not just on him and his family, but on the organization where he made his name. Clase has put the franchise in a bad, distracting spot. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York have been aggressive in the case, and they are far from done.
The jury selection for the trial will begin in November. According to the documents, the prosecutors will focus on 18 pitches from 17 games before the trial. Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty. We will see how far this case goes.
We don’t think that Clase and Ortiz are off the hook just yet because we might see more new evidence in the next couple of months.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
