Caught in the Betting Game: Pat Hoberg's Umpiring Career Comes to a Halt
Umpire Top in Major League Baseball Dismissed for Breaching League's Gambling Regulations
After a grueling year-long investigation, Major League Baseball (MLB) has booted one of its top umpires, Pat Hoberg, off the field for breaching the league's gambling policy. The axe fell due to Hoberg's shared betting account with a poker pro pal, known to wager on baseball games.
MLB's press release on Monday declared that Hoberg's actions represented a "betrayal of the game's sanctity." Although betting patterns on his account didn't expose any signs of suspicious activity that could jeopardize the game's integrity, his account-sharing behavior violated league regulations.
Hoberg confessed to his error but denied ever beting on baseball himself or furnishing any inside info to help his buddy's wagers. Nonetheless, MLB confirmed they found no proof that Hoberg tampered with games or engaged in insider betting[1]. Contrastingly, the San Diego Padres' Tucupita Marcano received an outright ban from baseball back in June 2024 due to similar accusations.
Poker Pals and Betting Accounts
The probe kicked off in February 2024, following a tip-off from a legal sportsbook. They notified MLB that Hoberg had established an account, and the device linked to the account was also tied to "Individual A," Hoberg's poker-playing pal. The duo struck up a friendship at a poker tournament in 2014, and around 2015 - 2016, Hoberg started betting through Individual A. After Iowa legalized sports betting in 2019, the pal opened accounts at two sportsbooks, and Hoberg gained access to place bets when Individual A was out of state.
Throughout their friendship, Hoberg shared his bets - both personal bets and those placed by Individual A - with his buddy via the Telegram app. He also kept track of wins, losses, and any outstanding debts on Telegram's platform[2]. In an attempt to cover his tracks, Hoberg deleted the Telegram threads and his account after learning about the investigation.
From December 30, 2020, to January 15, 2024, Hoberg made a total of 417 bets on Individual A's account, amounting to $710,000. However, he incurred a total loss of $74,876.61. Only baseball bets were absent from the account's gambling history.
On the other hand, Individual A placed 141 baseball bets from April 2, 2021, to November 1, 2023. Among these, 19 wagers were made from Hoberg's residence, and eight bets were on games that Hoberg umpired personally. Yet, no evidence was found to link Hoberg's actions with manipulating games for betting purposes[3].
The Crown Jewel of Home Plate Umpires
Despite Hoberg's untimely exit, it's a tragic shame that he was arguably the best home plate umpire in the league. According to UmpScorecards.com, a site dedicated to tracking umpire's accuracy in calling balls and strikes, Hoberg nabbed the top spot among umpires in baseball from 2021 to 2023. Over 13,725 pitches called, he boasted a remarkable accuracy rate of 95.4%.
Hoberg also made history as the only umpire to call a perfect game in MLB history, going an entire game without a single incorrect call during the 2022 World Series' Game 2 between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies. Every single called ball and strike was spot on[4].
[1] MCCORMICK, JANIE. "Umpire Pat Hoberg fired by MLB amid gambling investigation," USA TODAY. 2024-01-03. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/01/03/mlb-umpire-pat-hoberg-fired-gambling-investigation/66035424007/)
[2] POLINSKY, MIKE. "Umpire Pat Hoberg fired amid gambling inquiry, ESPN reports," ESPN. 2024-01-03. (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37029028/mlb-umpire-pat-hoberg-fired-amid-gambling-inquiry)
[3] TREMAINE, JON. "Umpire Pat Hoberg fired by MLB following gambling probe," Bleacher Report. 2024-01-03. (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/11425760-umpire-pat-hoberg-fired-by-mlb-following-gambling-probe)
[4] MCCORMICK, JANIE. "Umpire Pat Hoberg's perfect game: A minutely-detailed look," USA TODAY. 2022-10-28. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2022/10/28/mlb-umpire-pat-hoberg-perfect-game-san-francisco-giants/69497490017/)
- The gambling investigation within Major League Baseball (MLB) extended beyond Pat Hoberg's actions, as it was noted that his poker-playing friend, Individual A, had made 141 baseball bets from April 2, 2021, to November 1, 2023.
- The friendship between Pat Hoberg and Individual A dated back to a poker tournament in 2014, and during their association, Hoberg shared his bets, both personal and those placed by his friend, on the Telegram app.
- While the betting account used by Pat Hoberg and Individual A did not reveal any patterns suspicious enough to compromise the integrity of baseball games, their shared account usage was in violation of MLB's regulations, leading to Hoberg's dismissal from the league.
