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MLB announced that prominent US sportsbook operators are establishing a nationwide $200 betting limit on baseball props focused on individual pitches in the wake of the indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme.
The announcement also noted that individual pitch bets are now prohibited from being included in any parlays. The move aims to reduce the incentive for punters to manipulate the betting market.
After discussions with licensed sportsbook partners — which began this summer when Clase and Ortiz were placed on leave amid a gambling investigation — MLB is cracking down.
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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling investigation on Nov. 9, 2025. (IMAGIN)
“I commend the industry for working with us to take steps toward a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity issues,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also offered Manfred guidance on the issue. Manfred noted that MLB has been working with its partner sportsbooks for the past seven years to “maintain our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our game for the fans.”
Federal prosecutors on Sunday unsealed an indictment charging Clase and Ortiz for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme centered on whether individual pitches were called balls or strikes — a common bet that major sportsbooks offer their customers.
GUARDIANS Pitchers accused in gambling scheme involving MLB GAMES
The indictment stated that the players bet about $450,000 on individual pitches under the scheme, in which the pitchers allegedly informed them what would be thrown.
MLB hopes that reducing the amount players can win on such prop bets will prevent market manipulation. DeWine wanted to go further by banning prop betting entirely after the investigation of Clase and Ortiz this past season in his state.
“By limiting the ability to place large wagers on microprop bets, Major League Baseball is taking affirmative steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce the incentives to participate in improper betting schemes,” DeWine said in a press release. “I encourage other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s example with similar action.”
Fanatics Sportsbook is among the major legalized sports betting operations in the United States that agreed to adjust its baseball betting to comply with MLB’s requests.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid a gambling investigation as the World Series approaches. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
“The legal sports betting market is designed to work with regulators, leagues and lawmakers to provide a safe gaming experience for sports fans,” Fanatics Sportsbook said in a statement to Pakinomist Digital. “At Fanatics, we believe that addressing pitch-level markets with Major League Baseball is a way to show that the legal market is working, as well as a prudent step to protect the integrity of our national pastime.”
Clase and Ortiz are charged with internet fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sports competitions by bribery and money laundering.
“We are aware of the latest law enforcement action. We will continue to cooperate fully with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” Guardians said.
The pitchers were placed on administrative leave on July 3 due to the gambling probe.
Clase and Ortiz “conspired with players to rig professional baseball games so that the players would profit from illegal bets based on this inside information,” the indictment said. “The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw certain types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place bets on those pitches.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)
“In some cases, the defendants received bribes and kickbacks – routed through third parties – in exchange for manipulating pitches. Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public and betrayed America’s pastime.”
Officials said in the indictment that from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with a co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so that the bettors with whom they allegedly colluded “would benefit from illegal betting based on this inside information.” Ortiz reportedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
