Trying to salvage integrity of games
Major League Baseball (MLB) has enacted measures with sportsbooks to safeguard game integrity by capping individual pitch wagers. Effective immediately, all “MLB Authorized Gaming Operators” will limit bets on “pitch-level markets” to a $200 maximum, with these wagers also excluded from parlays.
difficult to detect in real time
Although parlays pose less of a threat to game integrity due to their reliance on multiple outcomes, the league indicates that individual pitch bets present greater risks. This is because they are controlled by a single player and are often “inconsequential” in the overall game context, making them challenging to monitor in real time.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred highlighted Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s leadership in this initiative. DeWine has critiqued the sports betting industry since its legalization in Ohio in early 2023, advocating for a ban on prop bets this summer.
Clase conspired with bettors to rig pitches
This MLB and sportsbook initiative, covering 98% of the US market, follows the indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for manipulating games for betting purposes. They face charges of fraud, conspiracy, and bribery by New York’s Eastern District prosecutors.
Ortiz was first placed on leave in July, but the indictment reveals Clase was the main figure in the gambling scheme, active since 2023. He provided bettors with information on pitch speeds to rig outcomes, resulting in $65,000 in winnings for those informed.
accepted money in exchange for throwing balls on specific pitches
Over two seasons, Clase received payments for deliberately throwing pitches that were unlikely to be strikes, often spiking them into the dirt.
Clase’s efforts were thwarted once when Dodgers’ Andy Pages unwittingly swung at a low pitch:
Ortiz joined scheme, caught quickly
Ortiz joined the scheme on June 15, 2025, and was placed on leave within three weeks. He accepted $5,000 to throw a ball as the first pitch of an inning, with bettors wagering $13,000 on it. He repeated the act on June 27, 2025, for a $7,000 payment, with bettors placing $18,000.
Further complicating matters, security footage captured Clase withdrawing $50,000 and giving $15,000 to a bettor.
Fans were surprised at the modest amounts the players accepted compared to their salaries. Ortiz, a competent pitcher, was earning $782,600 this season. Clase, a top closer at 27, was under a five-year, $20 million contract.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com