Tuesday, February 4, 2025

MLB Fires Umpire Pat Hoberg for Gambling Rule Violation

Major League Baseball fired umpire Pat Hoberg for violating the league's gambling rules. Perhaps most famous for calling a perfect game with 100% ball/strike accuracy during the 2022 World Series, Hoberg did not work any MLB games during the 2024 season while under investigation by the commissioner's office for alleged gambling violations. Hoberg's on-field MLB career thus spanned a decade (2014-23), with Hoberg getting the call to the full-time staff in 2017. He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement no earlier than 2026.

The Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) filed an appeal on Hoberg's behalf following the 2024 suspension, but MLB's conclusion that Hoberg violated the sport's gambling rules was upheld after review. Although MLB's investigation revealed no evidence that Hoberg actually bet on baseball or manipulated games, the league nonetheless banned Hoberg for violation of MLB Rule 21 because an account Hoberg held jointly with a friend did place bets on baseball, including several games Hoberg officiated.

Hoberg himself reportedly bet on football, basketball, hockey, and golf, and Hoberg has consistently denied ever betting on baseball. MLB umpires are allowed to bet on sports other than baseball.

According to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, "Hoberg's 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."

MLB Rule 21(d) restricts gambling on baseball: betting on any baseball game the bettor is not involved in nets a one-year suspension while betting on any game in which the bettor participates or has a duty to perform results in a permanent ban from the sport.

Specifically, "Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year" (21(d)(1)), and "Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible" (21(d)(2)).

Additionally, placing bet with an illegal book maker or agents thereof are subject to a ban at the discretion of the commissioner. Although Hoberg was not found to have bet illegally in this way (MLB's findings make specific reference to legal betting), he nonetheless received severe discipline for betting in an account that was also associated with betting on baseball and for deleting messages/his Telegram account during the investigative process.

Video as follows:
Alternate Link: Pat Hoberg fired for gambling violation - here's why Manfred gave him a perma-ban

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