Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is escalating pressure on Major League Baseball as he leads a Senate inquiry into gambling corruption at the same time one of the league’s top relievers faces explosive federal allegations of rigging pitches for profit. The probe — launched this week by the Senate Commerce Committee — seeks documents and briefings from MLB, major sportsbooks, and federal regulators as lawmakers warn that a surge in sports betting has outpaced safeguards meant to protect the integrity of competition.

Why It Matters

That scrutiny intensified Thursday when Cleveland Guardians star Emmanuel Clase pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court to charges that he accepted bribes to help foreign gamblers win bets tied to his pitch speed and performance. With Congress demanding answers and federal prosecutors outlining a sprawling bribery scheme, the scandal has thrust MLB into the center of a broader national reckoning over sports wagering.

What To Know

Cruz, the committee’s ranking member, has framed the investigation as a necessary intervention into what he calls “a dangerous erosion of competitive integrity” accelerated by the legalization of sports betting across much of the country. Earlier this week, he and Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred requesting internal policies, disciplinary records, and communications related to gambling enforcement — material now likely to take on new significance in light of the Clase case.

The committee is also seeking testimony from gambling operators and federal agencies, citing the need for “urgent oversight” to ensure athletes are not vulnerable to coercion, foreign influence, or financial exploitation. Thursday’s arrest, Cruz said in a statement, “demonstrates exactly why Congress must step in.”

Clase, 27, appeared subdued in court Thursday, offering only brief answers through a Spanish interpreter. The three-time All-Star was released on $600,000 bond and ordered to surrender his passport, wear a GPS monitor, and restrict his travel to New York and Ohio. Prosecutors say he was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy Airport hours earlier after arriving from the Dominican Republic, where investigators allege two unnamed bettors paid him thousands of dollars to manipulate the outcomes of individual pitches. His Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz, charged in the same scheme, pleaded not guilty Wednesday; both return to court on Dec. 2.

According to prosecutors, Clase began signaling pitch decisions to the gamblers in 2023 and escalated the scheme this year, frequently throwing deliberately errant first pitches to guarantee specific betting outcomes. In one April appearance against the Boston Red Sox, they allege he spoke by phone with a bettor minutes before taking the mound — after which the gamblers won $11,000 on a proposition wager tied to pitch velocity. Ortiz was allegedly recruited later and sometimes helped bankroll the bets. Both players face charges including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests, with penalties that could reach 20 years in prison.

The scandal has already produced ripple effects. MLB said Wednesday it is implementing new limits on proposition betting involving single pitches, a policy shift that Senate investigators signaled they intend to examine. The Clase and Ortiz cases follow a wave of gambling controversies in professional sports, including a sweeping NBA betting investigation last month that led to more than 30 arrests.

For lawmakers like Cruz — and for the Justice Department — the Guardians’ scandal is no longer just a criminal case but a test of whether America’s rapidly expanding sports gambling industry can be safely regulated.

What People Are Saying

José de los Santos, a fan of Dominican and Major League Baseball, told the Associated Press: “The case of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz tarnishes the image of Dominican baseball players. Actions of that nature put Dominican and Latino players in the spotlight.”

The Senate Commerce Committee press release stated, “An isolated incident of game rigging might be dismissed as an aberration, but the emergence of manipulation across multiple leagues suggests a deeper, systemic vulnerability. These developments warrant thorough scrutiny by Congress before misconduct issues become more widespread.”

What Happens Next

Clase and Ortiz are due back in federal court Dec. 2, when prosecutors are expected to lay out more details of the alleged scheme and defense lawyers may begin challenging the evidence. MLB’s separate investigation remains active and could lead to additional discipline once the criminal case advances. Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce Committee is weighing hearings early next year that would call MLB officials and sportsbook executives to testify under oath as part of its widening gambling probe.

Updates: 11/17/25, 12:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.