Folks, we have officially reached the point in baseball where apparently throwing a baseball isn’t enough anymore.

Now prosecutors want to know what pitch you’re throwing, when you’re throwing it, how fast you’re throwing it, who knew about it beforehand — and, apparently, whether somebody somewhere had their phone out ready to smash that “BET NOW” button.

Welcome to baseball in 2026, where the only thing more complicated than figuring out a pitcher’s ERA is figuring out whether somebody’s cousin’s barber’s accountant had the inside information.

Federal prosecutors have now identified 18 pitches thrown by Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase that they say will be central to their gambling case against him.

And yes, one of those pitches came during the 2024 American League Division Series.

Because apparently the postseason wanted to get involved in the drama too.

Clase is accused of sharing advance information about certain pitches with bettors, who prosecutors say then wagered on things such as the result and velocity of those pitches.

Clase has pleaded not guilty.

So let me make something very clear before we start having a national baseball argument:

These are allegations.

The government has to prove its case.

But when federal prosecutors hand you a list of 18 individual pitches, baseball suddenly starts looking less like America’s pastime and more like America’s most complicated group text.

According to court documents filed Friday, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York have narrowed their focus to approximately 18 Clase pitches thrown across 17 games between May 19, 2023, and May 28, 2025.

That’s right.

Not 18 games.

Not 18 innings.

18 PITCHES.

Somewhere in a federal prosecutor’s office there’s apparently a spreadsheet that looks like this:

Pitch No. 7 — suspicious.

Pitch No. 8 — VERY suspicious.

Pitch No. 9 — somebody check the Venmo.

I’m exaggerating, obviously.

But you get the point.

The government isn’t saying, “We think every pitch this man ever threw was involved.”

They’re saying the case will focus on approximately 18 specific pitches where they allege advance inside information was provided to bettors.

And that distinction matters.

Here’s where this story gets even crazier.

One of the pitches on the government’s list came during the 2024 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers.

October 5, 2024.

Ninth inning.

Matt Vierling steps into the batter’s box.

Clase throws his first pitch.

A 93 mph slider.

And according to the government, that pitch is one of the 18 they intend to focus on at trial.

The pitch was outside the strike zone.

The Guardians won the game 7-0.

Imagine watching a playoff game and thinking:

“Wow, Clase just threw a slider.”

Meanwhile, somewhere else:

“WAIT! WHO KNEW IT WAS A SLIDER?!”

That’s how you know we’re living in a different sports universe.

The government’s list includes pitches involving some pretty recognizable names.

We’re talking:

Starling Marte.

Manny Machado.

Jarren Duran.

Royce Lewis.

Bobby Witt Jr.

Max Kepler.

Andy Pages.

And plenty of others.

There are pitches from games against the Mets, Orioles, Twins, Red Sox, Padres, Dodgers and other clubs.

The dates stretch from 2023 into 2025.

And here’s the part that makes this whole thing feel like baseball’s version of a detective movie:

The government isn’t simply interested in whether the pitch was a strike or a ball.

They’re alleging bettors were receiving advance information about what pitch was coming and betting accordingly.

That means we’re no longer talking about somebody guessing:

“I’m taking the Yankees tonight.”

We’re talking about:

“I KNOW WHAT’S COMING.”

That’s a completely different ballgame.

Look, baseball has always been about information.

Catchers put down signs.

Pitchers shake them off.

Runners try to steal signs.

Coaches look for tendencies.

Hitters study pitchers.

Everybody is trying to figure out what everybody else is doing.

That’s baseball.

But the line prosecutors are examining here is whether inside information was allegedly being provided to bettors before certain pitches were thrown.

That’s why this case is so serious.

Because once gambling gets mixed with inside information, we’re no longer talking about simply trying to beat the other team.

We’re talking about potentially manipulating the information surrounding the game for financial gain.

And that’s exactly what the federal case will have to sort out.

Apparently one Guardians pitcher wasn’t enough for this baseball soap opera, prosecutors also allege that Guardians starter Luis Ortiz provided bettors with advance information about two pitches.

The government hasn’t identified those two pitches in the latest filing.

Ortiz has also pleaded not guilty.

So you’ve got Clase.

You’ve got Ortiz.

You’ve got alleged bettors.

You’ve got federal prosecutors.

You’ve got sportsbooks watching betting patterns.

And you’ve got Major League Baseball sitting there looking like:

“Can we please just have one normal Tuesday?”

Apparently not.

The case didn’t simply appear out of thin air.

Sportsbooks flagged unusual betting interest surrounding specific pitches from Ortiz in two games in June 2025.

Ortiz and Clase have been on leave since the summer of 2025.

According to prosecutors, the investigation eventually focused on specific pitches and alleged communications surrounding them.

And now we’re heading toward a federal trial.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin in November.

That’s when all of this moves from baseball Twitter arguments and legal filings into a courtroom.

And believe me, I cannot wait for somebody to explain a pitch sequence to a jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please direct your attention to Exhibit 47.

This is a 93-mile-per-hour slider.”

Some juror:

“Sir, I don’t even understand what a slider is.”

The prosecutor:

“Excellent. We’re going to be here until Christmas.”

Here’s what really stands out to me.

Earlier this year, prosecutors had reportedly accused Clase of throwing suspect pitches in at least 48 games.

Now, according to the latest filing, the government says it will focus on approximately 18 pitches from 17 games.

That’s a major narrowing of the case.

The government says it intends to prove that for one or more of those Clase pitches — along with two Ortiz pitches — the defendants provided advance inside information to people who then bet on them.

That’s what the trial will have to establish.

And that’s why we shouldn’t convict anybody on social media.

Because Twitter doesn’t have a jury.

Twitter has people with profile pictures yelling at each other at 2:13 in the morning.

That’s not a courtroom.

That’s my comment section.

THIS IS WHY BASEBALL HAS A GAMBLING PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH

And here’s the bigger conversation.

Sports gambling isn’t going away.

It’s everywhere.

You can bet on games.

You can bet on player statistics.

You can bet on individual plays.

And now, in some markets, people can wager on extremely specific events.

That creates an enormous amount of money surrounding individual moments.

And when you start betting on something as specific as the next pitch, the integrity of the person throwing that pitch becomes incredibly important.

Because if somebody actually has information that the public doesn’t have, that’s not just somebody making a lucky prediction.

That’s potentially an entirely different situation.

And that’s what federal prosecutors are alleging happened here.

Again:

Allegations.

Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty.

The government still has to prove its case.

But the fact that we’re talking about a federal trial involving individual baseball pitches tells you how far the gambling explosion has taken us.

Here’s my problem with the entire situation:

Baseball is already complicated enough!

I don’t need to watch Emmanuel Clase enter the ninth inning and start doing mathematical equations in my head.

“Okay, he’s thrown 97 pitches this week, his slider is moving two inches differently, the sportsbook has the velocity at 92.5, and somebody on Reddit says his cousin’s dog knows what’s coming.”

STOP!

I JUST WANT TO WATCH BASEBALL!

But seriously, this case is going to be fascinating because the government isn’t dealing with some vague accusation that “something looked weird.”

They’re identifying specific pitches.

Specific games.

Specific hitters.

Specific dates.

And they’re alleging that advance information about those pitches was passed to bettors.

That’s going to put the evidence under a microscope.

Because when you’re talking about 18 pitches over multiple seasons, prosecutors will have to connect the dots.

And the defense will have its opportunity to challenge those allegations.

That’s what a trial is for.

So buckle up.

November is going to be interesting.

Because apparently in 2026, when a closer walks to the mound, we’re not just asking:

“Can he get three outs?”

We’re asking:

“WHO KNOWS WHAT HE’S THROWING?!

WHO BET ON IT?!

AND WHY DOES THIS PITCH HAVE A LAWYER?!”

Baseball, ladies and gentlemen—
where apparently even the slider needs an alibi.