Major League Baseball terminated umpire Pat Hoberg's contract Monday for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who placed bets on baseball games. While no evidence emerged of Hoberg personally betting on baseball, his sharing of accounts and subsequent deletion of messages raised concerns about the integrity of the game.
Major League Baseball ( MLB ) terminated umpire Pat Hoberg 's contract on Monday due to his sharing of his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who placed bets on baseball games. The league also cited Hoberg's intentional deletion of electronic messages relevant to its investigation. MLB launched the investigation last February after being alerted by a sportsbook. Hoberg did not officiate during the previous season.
While the investigation uncovered no evidence of Hoberg personally betting on baseball or manipulating games, MLB senior vice-president of on-field operations Michael Hill recommended Hoberg's dismissal on May 24. Commissioner Rob Manfred upheld Hill's decision on Monday. Hoberg, known for his exceptional strike zone judgment, is eligible to apply for reinstatement no earlier than the 2026 spring training. MLB revealed that Hoberg's friend placed 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2021, and November 1, 2023, totaling nearly $214,000 US with an overall win of nearly $35,000. '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 stated. '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.' Now 38, Hoberg debuted in Major League Baseball in 2014. During Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, he achieved an unprecedented 'umpire's perfect game' by accurately calling balls and strikes on all 129 pitches taken. Hoberg released a statement acknowledging his errors in judgment and expressing remorse. He emphasized that he has never and would never bet on baseball, nor would he provide information to anyone for betting purposes. Hoberg apologized to MLB and the entire baseball community, vowing to learn from his mistakes and become a better person. He was notified of his termination on May 31. Under the umpires' collective bargaining agreement, Hoberg had the right to appeal Hill's decision, leading to MLB hiring a neutral fact finder who submitted a report to Manfred. MLB disclosed that the sportsbook informed them of Hoberg opening an account in his name on January 30, 2022, and that an electronic device associated with Hoberg's account had accessed an account belonging to another person who placed bets on baseball. Hoberg's devices placed 417 direct bets with Sportsbook A between December 30, 2020, and January 15, 2024, on his friend's accounts, totaling $487,475.83, resulting in a loss of $53,189.65. Additionally, his devices placed at least 112 bets with Sportsbook B totaling $222,130, leading to a loss of $21,686.96. The majority of these direct bets were placed on football, basketball, hockey, and golf. Nineteen of the friend's 141 baseball bets were made from Hoberg's home, and eight involved five games Hoberg umpired or served as a replay umpire. MLB detailed these games: On April 13, 2021, Hoberg made three close calls at third base which MLB stated he ruled correctly. There were money line bets of $2,000 and $1,000 on Cincinnati, which lost to San Francisco 7-6. On June 15, 2021, Hoberg was the lead replay umpire and there were no replay reviews in a Chicago Cubs' 3-2 loss to the New York Mets. There was a $1,050 bet on a live runs line, a baseball equivalent of a points spread, and the bet won and paid $1,550. On August 15, 2021, Hoberg was the plate umpire for the Los Angeles Dodgers' 14-4 win over the Mets and had 98..
MLB Umpire Pat Hoberg Sports Betting Gambling Termination Investigation
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