Emmanuel Clase leaves Brooklyn federal court on Thursday. Yuki Iwamura / AP Photo
NEW YORK — Emmanuel Clase pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges that he manipulated his outings for the Cleveland Guardians to allegedly aid two men to win wagers on his pitches.
Clase was arraigned at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn in his first court appearance since he was charged Sunday in a federal indictment that he and Luis Ortiz, another Guardians pitcher, were part of an illegal gambling scheme. Clase, wearing a gray blazer over his black shirt, sat stone-faced during the hearing, as he listened to a court-appointed translator and pleaded through his attorney.
He had been in the Dominican Republic but returned to the country earlier in the day, where he was arrested at JFK Airport.
Federal prosecutors say that Clase was part of a multi-year plot in which he rigged pitches so that unnamed co-conspirators could win prop bets on whether his pitches were balls or strikes and what velocity they were thrown with. In an indictment filed earlier this month, prosecutors documented nine separate pitches made by Clase as part of that scheme. They also claim that he brought Ortiz into the scheme and communicated with the bettors during games.
He was indicted on counts of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy.
Joseph A. Marutollo, the federal judge overseeing Thursday’s hearing, said that he believed the “evidence is strong” against Clase while he considered what conditions Clase should operate under while he was out on bail. He was released on a $600,000 bond, though Marutollo said that he cannot gamble while out on bail and must have his location monitored by GPS.
While Clase was put on administrative leave by Major League Baseball this summer and has not pitched for the Guardians since July 26, he maintains close ties to the sport. Kelvin Nova, his agent, called in from an MLBPA agents meeting in Las Vegas, the site of this week’s GM meetings, to serve as a surety for Clase on his bond.
Ortiz appeared in the same courthouse Wednesday and also pleaded not guilty. He was released on $500,000 bond.
Nov 14, 2025
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