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Fox News Flash top sports headlines for March 19

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Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will be moving to unpaid leave as they await trial for allegedly rigging pitches, Major League Baseball announced Friday.

The relievers were originally placed on paid non-disciplinary leave when they were first investigated over the summer.

"This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz. MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and will have no further comment until its investigation has been completed," MLB said, adding the shift came through an agreement between the league and the players' association.

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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling probe Nov. 9, 2025. (Imagn)

Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches to benefit those who placed wagers on him in at least 48 games, according to ESPN. The initial indictment filed in November accused Clase of rigging pitches in specific games between May 2023 and June 2025.

In one instance, the indictment alleges, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.

Clase pleaded not guiltyto charges he took bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches. He was released on $600,000 bond, surrendered his passport and was ordered to limit his travel to New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.

Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025. Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.

MLB player Emmanuel Clase in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., Nov. 13, 2025. Clase faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. (Christine Cornell)

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The indictment announcement came weeks after three NBA figures were swept up in an FBI operation involving alleged illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among more than two dozen arrested in the scheme.

Clase turned himself into arguably the game's best closer, pitching to a 1.21 ERA in his last full season in 2024, which was good for a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award vote. His 2025 ERA was 3.80 by the time he was investigated. Ortiz boasts a lifetime 4.36 ERA, with his best season also coming in 2024 with a 3.32 ERA.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid a gambling probe. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)

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Clase inked a five-year, $20 million deal just before opening day in 2022, a few months after finishing fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Ortiz was making the veteran minimum of $782,600 last season because he was not yet arbitration eligible.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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