Major League Baseball has dealt with gambling interference for more than a century. The "Black Sox", Pete Rose and Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, were all at the center of MLB investigations in the sports betting realm. Now, the league has had an umpire join that notable group.
Pat Hoberg, one of MLB's best umpires, was officially fired in early February for "violations of the league's gambling rules." Hoberg reportedly shared sports betting accounts with a professional poker player who bet on baseball.
Commissioner Rob Manfred upheld the decision that was initially laid down in May 31, 2024. He released a statement on Hoberg's dismissal.
"The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans. An extensive investigation revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way. However, his extremely poor judgment... combined with his deletion of messages creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline..."Rob Manfred
Hoberg's brilliance behind plate does not excuse betting scandal
Hoberg is not known to the casual fan like Angel Hernandez or Joe West. However, he has long been considered one of MLB's best umpires. Hoberg was the first umpire to receive a perfect grade from Umpire Scorecards after not missing a single ball or strike call in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series.
🌟 HOBERG HIGHLIGHT REEL 🌟
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) November 1, 2022
here are some of the best calls from Pat's perfecto: https://t.co/vQf8BfjSC4 pic.twitter.com/kPGQkY03Ij
His track record of excellence goes deeper than just that one appearance. Foolish Baseball labeled Hoberg an "ascendent superstar" in a video dissecting MLB's umpires. The game discussed is a 2022 Philadelphia Phillies-Colorado Rockies contest, where Hoberg called just one pitch incorrectly.
Per Foolish Baseball, Hoberg ranked second among umpires in average accuracy after his "full-time promotion to the big leagues" (2018 through video publication date of June 27, 2022).
Should Hoberg's impressive history abstain him from facing consequences for his actions? Of course not. It's critical that sports leagues prevent their players and officials from gambling.
Even though Hoberg didn't directly bet on baseball, he should have known better than to put himself in such a precarious position. He acknowledged as much in a statement obtained by The Athletic.
"I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s [ruling]... [MLB] umpires are held to a high standard of personal conduct, and my own conduct fell short of that standard. That said, to be clear, I have never and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape, or form. I have never provided, and would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me. I apologize to Major League Baseball and the entire baseball community for my mistakes. I vow to learn from them and to be a better version of myself moving forward."Pat Hoberg
Because Hoberg did not ever bet on baseball himself — or fix games — he did not receive the lifetime bans that were slapped upon the Black Sox and Pete Rose. He's able to apply for reinstatement in spring training 2026 "at the earliest."
MLB needs all the quality umpires they can find. Hoberg has been one of the best throughout his MLB tenure. It'd be beneficial for both parties to get him back in the saddle as soon as possible. Hopefully he has learned from his mistakes and will make it easy for the league to reinstate him in 2026.