If there’s one thing that the MLB takes seriously, it’s gambling.

Just look what the league did to Pete Rose.

After a bombshell Major League Baseball gambling investigation, MLB officials have placed Cleveland Guardians star pitcher Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave until their probe is finalized.

The Daily Mail reported exclusively on what led to Clase being named in the investigation:

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has reportedly been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of Major League Baseball’s gambling investigation.

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Clase pitched in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday against the Royals in what will likely be his final MLB action for some time.

Clase is on paid leave through August 31, per ESPN, and has the same designation as teammate Luis Ortiz, who is also connected with the betting probe.

Clase is viewed as one of the elite relief pitchers in baseball, giving a severe handicap to the Guardians, who are looking to stay in contention in the American League Wild Card race.

The Guardians said in a statement – ‘The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that as part if their sports betting investigation Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave per an agreement with the Players Association.’

‘We have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted.’

Clase’s exact ties to the investigation are unclear, as are how many games have activity that the league is reviewing, as well as the exact amount of pitches under the probe.
Ortiz has been on paid leave since July 3 after unusual gambling activity spiked on two pitches he threw for balls, in June games a dozen days apart. Ortiz’s leave lasts until the exact same day as Clase.

The probe has been ongoing for nearly a month, since the league first became aware of the abnormalities in the betting market.

In Ortiz’s case, unusual amounts of money were wagered on the pitches from the June 15 and 27 games being a ball or hit-batsman from betting accounts, per ESPN. Both pitches wound up well outside the strike zone.

Here are some videos of Clase pitching:

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Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose were the two most notable players to ever be banned from Major League Baseball over gambling accusations.

The MLB recently reversed its Hall of Fame policy to allow players who gambled to be considered for the Hall.

The Chicago Sun-Times provided details on the MLB’s reversal:

Barred from Hall of Fame eligibility forever?

It isn’t so, Joe, not anymore.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred’s landmark announcement Tuesday that he was changing the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility — specifically, that bans would expire at death — opens the door to potential Hall induction for Pete Rose, the sport’s “Hit King,” as well as for Shoeless Joe Jackson, forever the biggest name associated with the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal.

Somewhere, former White Sox great Jackson owes a tip of the cap to Rose, who perhaps can be found in the great sportsbook in the sky. For decades, the debate about Rose — who agreed to a permanent ban in 1989 after an MLB-led investigation concluded he repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and a manager — drummed on. Did a man with a record 4,256 hits belong in Cooperstown or didn’t he?

As soon as 2028, there could be a more conclusive answer.

There has been support along the way for .356 career hitter Jackson, too, though nothing that approached the inextinguishable spectacle surrounding Rose and his magnetic appeal as a flawed living legend. Recently, President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Rose’s cause, even meeting with Manfred about it last month.

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Jackson — one of the greatest Sox of ’em all — died at 64 in 1951.

Rose, a 17-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, league MVP and three-time World Series winner, died Sept. 30 at 83.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

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