MLB fires umpire Pat Hoberg for violating league's gambling policy
2025-02-04
Category: sports

Major League Baseball announced Monday it fired an umpire for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games. MLB said umpire Pat Hoberg was also fired for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation. The league opened up a probe into Hoberg last February after a sportsbook brought it to the attention of officials. SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE  The league said that while the probe didn’t uncover evidence he personally bet on baseball or manipulated games, MLB senior vice president Michael Hill recommended on May 24 that Hoberg be fired. Hoberg didn’t umpire last season. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred upheld Hill's decision. Hobert can apply for reinstatement no earlier than 2026 spring training. "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," Manfred said in a statement. "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 in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe bet on baseball and who did, in fact, bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline. Therefore, there is just cause to uphold Mr. Hoberg’s termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  MLB said Hoberg’s friend made 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2023, and Nov. 1, 2023, totaling almost $214,000 with an overall win of nearly $35,000. Hoberg had been touted as one of the best in baseball. He is among the highest-rated umpires at judging the strike zone. He had an unprecedented "umpire’s perfect game" when he accurately called balls and strikes on all 129 pitches in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, according to computer tracking. Hoberg, 38, issued a statement. "I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement," Hoberg said. "Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me. Major League Baseball 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."  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP MLB said the sportsbook told the league that Hoberg opened an account in his name on Jan. 30, 2024, and an electronic device associated with the account had accessed an account in the name of another person, who had bet on baseball. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s&nbsp;sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.