Typically, when baseball fans know the name of an umpire, it’s not a good thing. Just look at Angel Hernandez and Phil Cuzzi who are well known for all the wrong reasons.
Pat Hoberg was the notable exception after he became the first and only MLB umpire to call a perfect game since Ump Scorecards began tracking, doing so in the World Series. But the rise of Hoberg as a shining example for baseball’s embattled umpiring roster was short lived.
Hoberg — who didn’t work a game in 2024 — was fired on Monday by Major League Baseball after the league looked into the umpire’s alleged ties to sports betting.
Breaking, per MLB: Umpire Pat Hoberg has been fired for sharing betting accounts with a friend who bet on baseball though there is no evidence Hoberg himself bet on games or manipulated any that he worked. He also deleted messages central to MLB’s investigation.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 3, 2025
According to the investigation, Hoberg shared sports betting accounts with a friend who was a professional poker player. That friend used the apps to bet on baseball. And while the league could not find evidence that Hoberg himself bet on baseball (or manipulated) games, it was still enough to fire Hoberg.
The now-former MLB umpire accepted the punishment in a statement via ESPN:
“I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement [by MLB]” 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.”
Of all the umpires to be tied with a gambling scandal, it had to be one of the top-performing ones. That in itself was shocking to baseball fans. It’s the kind of thing that can happen when leagues embrace partnerships with the gambling industry.
This was how Twitter/X reacted
Pat Hoberg you will never be forgotten https://t.co/5Y56tSGCIY pic.twitter.com/36eSbeJXAl
— Wimmer (@CookedByJaguar) February 3, 2025
our dearly beloved💔💔💔 https://t.co/Y2BOzoE95h pic.twitter.com/kxsGaBZWMg
— jackson (@foreverstros) February 3, 2025
(Craziest part about this is he was one of the most consistent Umps in the league) https://t.co/AHefCMKQCI pic.twitter.com/CdbEjjf2NE
— Mets Sopranos (@MetsSopranos) February 3, 2025
I am starting to think these league partnerships with gambling companies are a bad thing https://t.co/fC3pYQMgCw
— Andrew Pasquini (@pasquiniandrew) February 3, 2025
most inevitable disaster there is https://t.co/gPx2ZFcWs4
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) February 3, 2025
— Baseball Images that Precede Unfortunate Events (@UnfortunateMLB) February 3, 2025
Pretty classic that one of the absolute best umpires in baseball got tied up in a betting scandal…
Really makes you appreciate the fact that a guy like Angel Hernandez was just out there blowing calls for the love of the game https://t.co/zADsI3Mzqw
— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) February 3, 2025
Meanwhile please make sure to stop by the BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park or Fanatics Betting and Gaming at Progressive Field! https://t.co/up4I5IoTVC
— Scott Lewis (@vosdscott) February 3, 2025
Just another argument for robot umps.
