Alarming Details Revealed About Emmanuel Clase Rigging Pitches in MLB Playoffs

Clase is also accused of using coded language to discuss pitch-rigging.

Jul 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) celebrates after getting the final out against the Chicago White Sox during the tenth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

More information regarding Emmanuel Clase and his pitch-rigging investigation has come to light. According to Zack Neisel and Mike Vorkunov, Clase rigged pitches back in the 2024 playoffs.

The pitch-rigging Clase allegedly underwent has to do with the first pitch of his appearance. On sportsbooks, the most common live, in-game bets people can make are pitch results and pitch speeds. If you look at the pitches thrown in that Gam 1 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, it is clear which one was the alleged rigged pitch.

Like almost all of the alleged rigged pitches Clase threw, it was the very first one of the inning. In the top of the 9th inning in Game 1 of the ALDS, the first pitch Clase threw was 93 MPH and fell short of the plate by about 10-15 feet. That pitch looks oddly similar to all of the other ‘rigged pitches’ Clase threw in this investigation. A slow pitch that was nowhere near the zone.

After that first pitch, Clase returned to his normal form. He got a strikeout on that first batter. The next batter rolled one over to second base for the easy out. The final batter flared a fly ball to left field for the easy final out of the game. 

Clase was dominant in that inning. Except for that first pitch, which was extremely ugly and extremely short of the plate. It falls in line with all the other videos out there of him allegedly rigging pitches. It is always the first pitch, and it is always well short of the plate. 

Every Emmanuel Clase pitch from Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS against Detroit, where he is alleged to have thrown a rigged pitch https://t.co/BAVvBpDdq8 pic.twitter.com/3l5FYW9LGS

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 13, 2026

Thankfully for the Guardians, the rigged pitch did not play a factor in the game, and the Guardians were able to maintain their 7-0 lead en route to a Game One victory.

Rigging pitches in a playoff game is a new level for players. Rigging pitches in a regular-season game, of which there are 162 of them, is much less significant than in a five-game ALDS series against a division rival. Every pitch counts in the postseason, and giving one away for free to the opposition is very risky business.

The fact that Clase was able to get away with a pitch like this for a year and a half amidst the investigation is impressive, but the investigation did what it was supposed to do, and that is find any and all instances where a rigged pitch may have occurred. 

"THROW A ROCK AT THE FIRST ROOSTER IN TODAY'S FIGHT"

Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after a strike out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In addition to the postseason pitch-rigging, Meisel mentions that code phrases were used ahead of pitch-rigging being done by Clase. “Throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight” was a message Clase received before a May 2025 game against the Reds. He responded with, “Yes, of course, that’s an easy toss to that rooster,” following up saying he will throw it “low.”

Clase used words like rooster and chicken regularly to describe his pitch-rigging opportunities, according to new text messages revealed in Friday’s indictment. 

This postseason pitch is now one of 15 times already identified as potential rigged pitches from 2023 to 2025, all in an effort to help sports gamblers win prop bets on him. Federal authorities also mention that there were at least three occasions in which Clase planned on rigging pitches, but never appeared in the game.

The co-conspirators made at least $450,000 with kickbacks to Clase, but Clase still denies all allegations and claims his innocence. 

The first “rooster” came in 2023, when a bettor asked, “And the rooster the same?” Clase replied, “Yes, the same rooster.” That night, multiple bettors won about $33,000 wagering that Clase’s first pitch would be slower than 94.5 mph. 

In September of 2023, Clase texted a bettor, “chicken number 3, after I kill the first 2, play the 3…And if I can’t kill it, don’t play it. I have to kill the first two.” Clase never did enter that game, therefore not being able to throw a fixed pitch to batter number three in that inning.

This is an investigation that gets messier and murkier by the day. More pitches are found, and the allegations continue to grow. One thing is clear: Clase will likely never step foot on an MLB mound again, and this allegation, whether it be true or false, will follow him his entire life.