Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on charges alleging their involvement in a conspiracy to manipulate bets on pitches thrown during official games.

Ortiz was arrested earlier Sunday in Boston, while the status of Clase, a three-time All-Star closer who had been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, remains in question as he is reportedly not yet in custody. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, both pitchers face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, which include fraud, conspiracy, and bribery, per the Eastern District of New York.

The entire 23-page indictment details an alleged plan in which the pitchers agreed to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on the outcome of specific micro-bets, such as whether a pitch would be a ball or a strike. Prosecutors state, per Passan, that the scheme involving Clase began as early as May 2023 and later expanded to include Ortiz. Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15, with Clase receiving the same amount for facilitating it. The indictment states they repeated the act on June 27, earning $7,000 each for that pitch.

The federal charges stem from an MLB investigation initiated after betting-integrity monitors flagged unusual activity on pitches thrown by Ortiz in at least two separate games in June of this year. Reports indicated that a high volume of money was placed on specific pitches to be balls or hit-by-pitches, which afterwards resulted in Ortiz throwing pitches well outside the strike zone.

The indictment of a player of Clase’s stature sends a message regarding the growing threat of game manipulation in the era of legalized sports betting. Any finding that players intentionally influenced pitch outcomes, even for prop bets, would constitute a violation of MLB Rule 21 and result in a lifetime ban. The rule explicitly states that, “players may not ask others to place bets on their behalf, knowingly benefit financially from, or knowingly assist with bets placed by others.”

According to the federal indictment (via Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out), “With Clase’s knowledge and approval, Bettor-1, Bettor-2, and others used this information to place over a hundred fraudulent Pitch Speed and Ball/HBP bets and parlays on Clase’s pitches.”

In one instance, according to page 13 of the indictment, Clase allegedly attempted to throw a ball for betting purposes, but the batter swung and missed, resulting in a strike instead. Afterward, “Bettor-1” reportedly texted Clase a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper, to which Clase replied with a GIF of a sad puppy. The Guardians ultimately won the game.

In a statement to ESPN, Major League Baseball said that: “MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”

Both pitchers now face criminal prosecution and the near certainty of a lifetime ban from baseball, putting their careers on life support.