After an investigation found ‘irrefutable’ evidence of gambling, it appears Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase’s career is over.
MLB Insider Héctor Gómez has posted on X that Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase will not play in Major League Baseball again, after the three-time All-Star closer was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July amid a gambling investigation into unusual betting patterns. Now it seems the results of the investigation are drawing close, with evidence found against the pitcher.
https://twitter.com/hgomez27/status/1977937291474526567/
“Emmanuel Clase will never pitch in MLB again,” wrote Gómez. “The gambling evidence found against him is irrefutable.”
There’s been no official update from MLB, ever since a notice that the suspension would be ongoing until the investigation had run its course early last month. ReadWrite has reached out to the organization for comment. However, if Gómez’s claims that evidence against Clase have been found, a permanent suspension from the majors could easily be on the cards.
Why is Emmanuel Clase facing suspension?
MLB players are not allowed to bet on games, due to the conflict of interest and potential for fixing games or gaining insider knowledge that would allow for an unfair advantage.
If it goes ahead, Clase’s suspension would be a sharp blow to the Guardians, after he led the team in terms of games finished and total saves for the last three seasons. In the season he was suspended this year, however, his pitching had not been up to his usual standard, with a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves across 48 games.
Clase was put on leave alongside his teammate, whose investigation remains ongoing. With the rise of sports gambling in the US, more and more athletes are having their gambling connections exposed. As online gambling becomes more prevalent, it seems that more professionals are tempted by the chance to play and win.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
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