After a lengthy appeals process, Major League Baseball confirmed its termination of an umpire on Monday. He was relieved for "sharing" bookmaking accounts with a bettor who bet on baseball.
Nevertheless, no direct evidence confirms Pat Hoberg bet in a manner that affected any games, and neither that he bet on any games.
In a statement through the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA), Hoberg took fault for mistakes but not for bettor conduct in regards to baseball.
MLB started its investigation in February 2024 when Hoberg signed an account with a bookmaking entity that holds a bookmaking license.
That entity notified them that his device shared a secondary account with a bettor who bet on baseball. Hoberg knowingly removed messages at the center of MLB's investigation, too.
For that, he was removed from spring training and placed in inactive status for the 2024 season during the period of investigation.
Under policy with MLB, Hoberg can apply for reinstatement, but not until spring training in 2026.
The 38-year-old umpire is regarded as one of the best in the league, best known for a flawless performance at the plate in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, in which he correctly called all 129 balls and strikes.
POLL | ||
FÉVRIER 3 | 164 ANSWERS MLB Investigation Leads to Firing of Longtime Official for Illegal Practices Do you agree with the firing of Pat Hoberg? | ||
Yes | 132 | 80.5 % |
No | 32 | 19.5 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
Conference | Cumulative |