They could have easily masked their bets so the books wouldn't have picked up on it. They could have bet both sides of another pitcher's first pitch and whoever they lost with, unload on their guy to win whatever. Books wouldn't have figured it out. 
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When the books have 500k/to 5k they tend to notice esp on a propComment -
They took the bets so they get those kind of amounts. If the bettors rotated 3-4 pitchers into the mix, (betting both sides) it would be hard to pin those two for cheating.Originally posted by Chiefs83Comment -
im not sure which legal books would take huge money a pitching prop. christ sake u cnt even get down hardly 1k on nfl propComment -
By Mike Vorkunov and Zack Meisel
-The Athletic
Feb. 13, 2026
Updated 6:36 pm EST
Hours before a game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 18, 2025, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase received a text message.
“Throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight,” it read.
It may have read cryptically, but in a 29-page indictment unsealed Friday, prosecutors say Clase understood. It is one of the revelations included in court documents unsealed Friday that also, for the first time, allege Clase engaged in an illegal sports gambling scheme during the 2024 postseason.
“Yes, of course, that’s an easy toss to that rooster,” he responded. If there was any confusion, he followed up again later. He would throw it “low.”
The language was more than just code; it was part of an alleged effort by Clase and others to rig pitches during Guardians games over two years.
Federal prosecutors unveiled further evidence of what they say were attempts by Clase to rig pitches to benefit gamblers. Clase discussed his plans with words like rooster and chicken to try to shroud them, according to text messages revealed in a new indictment Friday.
Prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York also said another man has been indicted as part of that scheme. They also revealed that they believe Clase rigged more pitches than they did at first. The list of documented pitches under scrutiny originally included nine examples split between the 2023 and 2025 seasons. Prosecutors continue to sift through data, and have so far added several new suspicious examples. Now, Clase is accused of throwing two rigged pitches in 2024 as well, including one on Oct. 5, in the ninth inning of the Guardians’ Game 1 win against the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series. In total, prosecutors have identified 15 times from 2023 through 2025 in which they allege Clase tried to throw pitches to help sports gamblers win their prop bets on him. The feds say they also found three occasions in which he intended to do so but never got into the game.
In all, co-conspirators netted winnings of at least $450,000, and Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz, who is said to have joined in the operation in June 2025, allegedly received kickbacks for their involvement.
“Emmanuel Clase is innocent and denies all allegations in the superseding indictment,” Michael Ferrara, the lawyer for Clase, said. “While we remain disappointed in the flawed views of the evidence and rush to judgment that led to these charges, we look forward to clearing his name at trial where the full facts and circumstances of the case will be revealed.”
Robinson Vasquez Germosen was charged with two federal counts by prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New York. They allege that he worked with Clase and, later, Ortiz to rig pitches during Guardians games so that they and others could win money betting on them. He is also accused of lying to federal agents during an interview as part of the investigation. Vasquez was arrested in December and released on $100,000 bond.
“The indictment contains allegations, not proof,” Todd Spodek, the attorney for Vasquez, said. “Mr. Vasquez is completely innocent, and the evidence at trial will clear his name.”
Vasquez, federal prosecutors say, served as a middleman between Clase and their alleged co-conspirators in the Dominican Republic. The Cleveland pitcher left Vasquez tickets to Guardians games on 28 occasions during the 2024 and 2025 seasons so he could attend games in person on some of the days he allegedly rigged his pitches. Ortiz also allegedly left tickets once for Vasquez.
Vasquez was one of the men with whom Clase worked to arrange bets or to ensure his co-conspirators were in position to wager on his pitches, prosecutors say.
The first “rooster” reference, according to the indictment, came on June 4, 2023, when a bettor texted Clase, “And the rooster (t)he 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 94.95 mph.
On Sept. 30, 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 2.” Clase, however, never entered the game that afternoon, which meant, prosecutors argue, he could not fulfill “the plan to throw a fixed pitch to the third batter he faced in the game.” While Clase was involved with rooster fighting in his native Dominican Republic, according to statements made in legal filings by an FBI agent and a separate witness, prosecutors said these references were about their betting scheme.
It is the latest turn in a case that has grown messier since the new year. Ortiz has asked the federal judge overseeing the case to sever his trial from that of Clase, arguing that he was an unknowing victim of a scheme largely driven by Clase.
The trial is set for May 4 in Brooklyn, N.Y., though Ortiz’s counsel requested to push back that date.
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I can't believe someone is that stupid? For what??Comment -
What happens if when he was told to throw a ball low the batter swang and got a strike?
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He got beat up!! lolOriginally posted by pavyracerWhat happens if when he was told to throw a ball low the batter swang and got a strike?
That would be my defense for doing this, btw.Comment -
"multiple bettors won about $33,000 wagering that Clase’s first pitch would be slower than 94.95 mph"
books offering props like that, which make it so easy to cheat, is just encouraging spot fixing. Wonder who they bet with..Comment -
That prop wager is ripe for interpretation, tooOriginally posted by Optional
There are two different types of radar guns MLB uses to gauge pitchers' velocity, etc
There's your 'fast (radar) gun', manufactured by Stalker Pro Sports,
and your 'slow (radar) gun, the JUGS handheld radar gun, if you will, manufactured by PB Electronics.
The fast gun measures speed closer to the pitcher's release points, whereas the JUGS gun measures pitch speed closer to the plate.
The slow gun is the better of the two for measuring velocity; as a former catcher, the first thing I look for is the pitch velocity.
Which brings me back to this statement.
"That prop wager is ripe for interpretation, too."
The difference between the two readings is between two and three MPH.
If the book offers that pitch-speed prop, I would read the fine print or call the book and ask them, "What radar gun do you use to grade these wagers?"
I can see a customer getting screwd over due to the 'gray area.'
Frankly, I don't know why anybody fools around with those props.
After last year's Cleveland Indians clusterfuck, you're going to be limited to no more than a sawbuck or two, juiced at 30 cents, if the books decide to offer it going forward.
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i still dont understand how they took that much. on nfl props u can get hardly anything down maybe 1k. just doesent make senseOriginally posted by Chiefs83Comment
