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<\/p>\n\n Posted on: January 13, 2026, 09:11h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: January 13, 2026, 09:41h.\n <\/p>\n
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Court documents claim Emmanuel Clase and a gambler were texting about cockfighting, not MLB pitching
\nGambling trial involving Cleveland Guardians\u2019 pitchers set for May
\nCockfighting is legal and hugely popular in Clase\u2019s home country, the Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
The court case looking into whether Cleveland Guardians\u2019 relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase worked with gamblers to manipulate his pitching performances on the mound and feeding that information to sports bettors so they could take in hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling winnings, just took a turn for the bizarre.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Emmanuel-Clase-MLB-Cleveland-Guardians-858x572.jpeg\")
Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians pitches against the Athletics in an MLB game last June in Sacramento, Calif. (Image: Scott Marshall\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
According to a New York Times story<\/a>, a gambler involved in the case \u2014 whom federal prosecutors allege was exchanging text messages with Clase in which the pitcher would tip him off on what he would be throwing \u2014 said the text messages weren\u2019t about pitching at all. They were actually about gambling on cockfighting in the Dominican Republic, where Clase is from.<\/p>\n Cockfighting Operation<\/p>\n Cockfighting, known locally as \u201cpelea de gallos,\u201d where two specially bred roosters fight it out in a blood sport, is both legal and hugely popular in that country, and is deeply rooted in the culture, going back centuries. There is heavy betting involved in the events, some of which are held in dedicated arenas.<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors in the Clase case allege he was exchanging text messages about his pitching with gamblers for two years. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings were claimed by the gamblers in the illicit operation.<\/p>\n Risks in Micro Betting<\/p>\n In the Times story, which referenced court documents, one of the gamblers said Clase actually ran a cockfighting operation in his home country. The bettor wasn\u2019t named in the court documents filed by lawyers representing both Clase and fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who is also accused of having manipulated his pitching performances for gambling purposes.<\/p>\n Prosecutors allege the two pitchers betrayed baseball. The defense says prosecutors misinterpreted the messages, thinking they were code words for gambling on baseball. The gambler said he never discussed pitches with Clase.<\/p>\n The trial is scheduled for May.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wire Fraud Charges<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve written previously<\/a>, the trial is shedding light on the proliferation of prop bets and microbets, and the risks inherent in that type of sports betting. Microbetting really gets into the weeds of a player\u2019s performance \u2014 in the case of MLB \u2014 putting money down on specific pitches a pitcher will be throwing.<\/p>\n The pitchers face charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches, including purposefully throwing balls into the dirt during MLB games. Ortiz and Clase are also accused of having cashed in on these bets.<\/p>\n New MLB Policy<\/p>\n According to Times reporting, when Clase told the gambler via text to send some of the winnings from a bet on the speed of one of Clase\u2019s pitches in an MLB game back to the Dominican Republic, the gambler said those proceeds were intended for the cockfighting operation.<\/p>\n