Overview
- A superseding indictment unsealed Feb. 13 alleges Clase fixed a pitch in Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS and identifies roughly 15 manipulated pitches from 2023–2025, plus three planned attempts when he did not enter games.
- The filing adds Robinson Vasquez Germosen as an alleged intermediary accused of coordinating wagers, relaying pitch plans and moving payments, with investigators also citing false statements during an FBI interview.
- Prosecutors say bettors won about $450,000 to $460,000 from the scheme, with kickbacks paid to Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz, who is accused of fixing two pitches.
- Authorities cite texts using terms such as “rooster” and “chicken” to mask pitch-fixing instructions, while Clase’s attorneys argue those messages referenced legal cockfighting in the Dominican Republic.
- Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty; Ortiz has sought to sever and delay his case, both pitchers remain on MLB’s restricted list, and league discipline remains possible as the Brooklyn trial approaches.