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MLB announced that prominent U.S. sportsbook operators are establishing a nationwide $200 betting limit on baseball prop wagers 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 decrease the incentive for players to manipulate the betting market.
After discussions with authorized sportsbook partners — which began this summer when Clase and Ortiz were placed on leave amid a gambling investigation — MLB is cracking down.
“I commend the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also offered guidance to Manfred on the issue. Manfred noted that MLB has worked with its partnered sportsbooks for the past seven years to “uphold our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans.”
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Sunday charging Clase and Ortiz for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme centered on whether individual pitches were called balls or strikes — a common prop bet that major sportsbooks offer their customers.
GUARDIANS PITCHERS INDICTED IN GAMBLING SCHEME INVOLVING MLB GAMES
The indictment stated that the gamblers made about $450,000 betting on individual pitches during the scheme, in which the pitchers allegedly informed them what would be thrown.
MLB hopes that reducing the amount bettors can win on such prop bets will disincentivize manipulating the market. DeWine wanted to go further by banning the prop bet entirely following the investigation into Clase and Ortiz this past season in his state.
“By limiting the ability to place large wagers on micro-prop 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 urge 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 U.S. that agreed to adjust their baseball bets to comply with MLB’s requests.
“The legal sports betting market was designed to be collaborative with regulators, leagues and lawmakers in order to provide a safe betting experience for sports fans,” Fanatics Sportsbook said in a statement to Fox News 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 wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering.
“We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both 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 probe.
Clase and Ortiz “conspired with bettors to rig pitches in professional baseball games so that the bettors would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information,” the indictment read. “The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches.
“In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments — funneled through third parties — in exchange for rigging 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 one co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so the bettors they were allegedly partnered with “would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information.” Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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