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MLB announced that major U.S. sports betting operators are establishing a $200 national limit on baseball prop bets focused on individual fields, following the indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for their alleged role in a gambling scheme.
The announcement also states that betting on individual pitches is now prohibited from being included in parlays. The move aims to reduce the incentive for players to manipulate the betting market.
After discussions with licensed sports betting partners — which began this summer when Clase and Ortiz were placed on leave amid a gambling investigation — MLB is taking action.
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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling investigation on November 9, 2025. (IMAGINE)
“I commend the industry for working with us to find a national solution to the risks posed by these field-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity issues,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also offered advice to Manfred on the issue. Manfred noted that MLB has worked with its sports betting partners over the past seven years to “maintain our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for fans.”
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Sunday charging Clase and Ortiz with 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.
PITCHKEEPERS CHARGED IN GAMING SCHEME INVOLVING MLB GAMES
The indictment said the gamblers bet approximately $450,000 on individual throws during the scheme, during which the throwers allegedly informed them what would be thrown.
MLB hopes that reducing the amount bettors can win on such prop bets will deter market manipulation. DeWine wanted to go further by completely banning prop betting following the investigation into Clase and Ortiz last season in his state.
“By limiting the ability to place large bets on micro-prop bets, Major League Baseball is taking positive steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce incentives to participate in improper betting schemes,” DeWine said in a press release. “I urge other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s lead in taking similar steps.”
Fanatics Sportsbook is among the major legalized sports betting companies in the United States that have agreed to adjust their baseball betting to comply with MLB’s demands.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid investigation into gambling ahead of the World Series. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
“The legal sports betting market was designed to collaborate with regulators, leagues and legislators to provide a safe betting experience for sports fans,” Fanatics Sportsbook said in a statement to PK Press Club Digital. “At Fanatics, we believe that addressing field-level markets with Major League Baseball is a way to show that the legal market works, as well as a prudent step to protect the integrity of our national pastime.”
Clase and Ortiz are charged with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to corruptly influence sports competitions and money laundering.
“We are aware of recent actions taken by law enforcement. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” the Guardians said.
The pitchers were placed on administrative leave July 3 due to the gambling investigation.
Clase and Ortiz “conspired with bettors to rig pitches at professional baseball games so that bettors would profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information,” the indictment states. “Defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used this inside information to place bets on these 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, defendants received bribes and kickbacks – routed through third parties – in exchange for rigging. Through this scheme, 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 bettors they allegedly associated with would “profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information.” Ortiz would have joined the program in June 2025.
