During the 2022 World Series two seasons ago, MLB umpire Pat Hoberg received a perfect score behind the plate for Game 2. In June 2024, the league announced that they’ve commenced an investigation against longtime umpire Pat Hoberg. It is regarding his potential violation of the MLB’s sports betting policies. If Hoberg ends up with a suspension, he would become the first U.S. professional umpire or referee to be punished for sports wagering since sports betting was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
Since his investigation has been underway, Hoberg has been removed from the field and is not behind the plate for games. The league determined in June that discipline was warranted. Pat Hoberg has tried to appeal the MLB’s ruling. The league announced that there was zero evidence that the games worked by Hoberg were compromised in any way.
How did Pat Hoberg find himself in this situation?
Pat Hoberg joined the MLB as an umpire in 2014 and became full-time in 2018. He received praise from his bosses for his accuracy behind the plate. According to a study from Boston University, his error rate of 7.93% made him a Top 10 MLB umpire behind the plate. His skills were on full display in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series.
Hoberg called 129 of 129 pitches correctly. While that was incredible by Hoberg, he has some off-the-field issues that are starting to surface. There are little to no details about the wagers in question for this case regarding Hoberg violating the league’s betting policies. ESPN has sources tell them that Hoberg denies betting on baseball.
Will Hoberg receive a lifetime ban from the MLB?
MLB Rule 21 says that any individual who is determined to have gambled on any game where there was “a duty to perform” is subject to a lifetime ban. This rule covers players and umpires across the league. Commissioner Rob Manfred plans to hear the appeal of Pat Hoberg. However, there’s no guarantee he will be able to keep his job. A sports betting case would not just appear out of nowhere.
It feels like Pat Hoberg is publicly denying these rumors against him while there may be some truth left to be uncovered. In an interview with Dan Patrick, Rob Manfred discussed other famous cases of sports wagering. Arguably the most famous in league history is former player and coach, Pete MLB, In June 1989, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained gambling sheets with ample evidence against Rose. However, he insisted that he was not wagering on baseball. On August 24, 1989, Rose accepted a spot on the MLB’s permanent ineligible list.
