Major League Baseball has dismissed veteran umpire Pat Hoberg after an investigation revealed he violated the league’s strict gambling policies, MLB announced on Monday. While the league found no evidence of game-fixing, Hoberg’s involvement in unauthorized betting activities led to his termination.
Hoberg, 38, who made his MLB debut in 2014 and became a full-time umpire in 2017, gained recognition for his “umpire’s perfect game” in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, where he accurately called all 129 taken pitches. However, his career was abruptly halted after an MLB probe into his gambling activities.
MLB launched an inquiry after a sportsbook reported that Hoberg had opened an account in January 2024 and that his device had accessed another individual’s betting account. The league discovered that:
- Hoberg’s devices placed 417 direct bets through a friend’s account, totaling $487,475.83, with net losses of $53,189.65.
- At least 112 bets were made through another sportsbook, amounting to $222,130, with net losses of $21,686.96.
- While most bets were on football, basketball, hockey, and golf, his friend placed 141 bets on baseball, including eight bets on games that Hoberg worked as an umpire or replay official.
Despite these findings, MLB determined there was no evidence that the baseball bets were linked to game-fixing or any attempt to manipulate the outcomes of games.
Among the eight baseball bets connected to games officiated by Hoberg, several involved significant wagers and game outcomes. On April 13, 2021, while serving as the third base umpire, Hoberg made three correct calls, but bets totaling $3,000 on Cincinnati resulted in losses. Later that year, on August 15, he was the plate umpire with an impressive 98.89% accuracy rate, during which a $3,200 bet on the Dodgers turned into a $5,200 win.
High-stakes bets continued in the postseason. On October 8, 2021, Hoberg officiated at third base in an NL Division Series game, where $5,000 in bets on the Giants led to a $9,300 payout. Later that month, on October 30, he served as the lead replay official for Game 4 of the World Series, but a $3,000 bet on the Astros resulted in a loss.
In a statement following his termination, Hoberg acknowledged his mistakes but denied ever betting on baseball himself.
“I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement,” he said. “Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me.”
However, he maintained that he never placed bets on baseball or provided information for others to bet on games, adding: “Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me.”
The Major League Umpires Association (MLUA) backed MLB’s decision, stating it would not defend an umpire who bet on baseball.
“If our union believed that an umpire bet on baseball, we would never defend him,” the union said in a statement. However, it acknowledged that MLB’s investigation did not determine that Hoberg himself placed baseball bets.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/02/04/94078-mlb-umpire-pat-hoberg-fired-over-gambling-violations
