Just last week, the UFC was being investigated by the FBI for potential fight rigging and same goes for the NBA, where Terry Rozier was busted for allegedly throwing games. Now, we have the same situation going on in baseball with Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.
This is becoming a trend that is extremely concerning. There is a major crackdown happening that is exposing athletes from various sports leagues. It makes you think of how many games are being rigged by the players and the large sums of money that citizens are either winning or losing on sports gambling apps like Fanduel and DraftKings, which are both heavily promoted in the sports world.
Some of the charges that Clase and Ortiz are facing include bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering. During the investigation by the MLB, they found that both pitchers were telling bettors to bet on a ball being thrown — which they would deliberately throw for quick cash.
On apps like Fanduel, you have the ability to bet on whether the pitcher will throw a strike or a ball, and can also bet on the velocity of the pitch. This method allowed the players to rack up quick cash on each pitch thrown while also trying to cover up their tracks by not making it too obvious.
Pitching is extremely difficult, so it is not uncommon for them to throw balls. But when you take a deeper dive into Emmanuel Clase, red flags have been exposed. Videos have surfaced online that show Clase facing off against Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe. In the at-bat, Clase was allegedly trying to throw balls which Volpe would end up striking out on. Following the strikeout, Emmanuel’s voice could be heard on the TV broadcast shouting and cursing, saying “F**k”.
No pitcher would ever be upset with a strikeout unless they were intentionally rigging games. This comes as a shock considering Clase has been known as one of the best closers in the MLB over the past few years.
As of now, Luis Oritz was arrested but posted bond where he is pleading not guilty. Clase has not yet been arrested but both players will be in court Thursday. If convicted on all charges, they can face up to 65 years in prison. Stay tuned.