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Major League Baseball fires umpire Pat Hoberg for gambling association
Major League Baseball has fired umpire Pat Hoberg for his association with a known gambler who bet on baseball, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Monday.
Hoberg, 38, considered one of baseball’s best umpires, is the first known umpire to be terminated for violating baseball’s gambling policy.
While there is no evidence that Hoberg directly bet on baseball, an account that he shared with a professional poker player revealed that person bet on 141 baseball games, including eight bets that Hoberg was either umpiring or in New York’s video replay booth.
“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.
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“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 announced last summer that Hoberg was disciplined for potential illegal activity, but never revealed that he was terminated on May 24, 2024 because of an appeal he filed with the umpires’ union. MLB officially denied his appeal on Monday, ending his association with Major League Baseball.
Hoberg has the right to apply for reinstatement in 2026, just like Pete Rose had the opportunity to apply for reinstatement ever year, but the all-time hits leaderremained permanently banned from baseball until his death.
While Hoberg admitted to gambling on different sports, he vehemently denied gambling on baseball. Yet, after MLB opened its investigation in February 2024, officials determined that he intentionally deleted messages central to its investigation. Yet, MLB did not find any data from sportsbooks that revealed Hoberg bet on baseball or manipulated the outcome of any games.
MLB opened its investigation last February when it received information from a licensed sports betting operator that Hoberg opened a sports betting account in his own name in January 2024, and that the personal electronic device associated with this account was connected with the legal sports betting account of a close friend of his who frequently traveled with him during the season.
Michael Hill, senior vice president of On-Field Operations Michael Hill, determined after viewing the evidence last year that “based on the totality of the circumstances, including impeding the investigation into his conduct, Hoberg’s conduct and extremely poor judgment created a situation in which Hoberg could not be trusted to “maintain the integrity of the international game of baseball” on the field as required by Article 9.A of the CBA.’’
Manfred reviewed all of the information during the grievance procedure, met personally with Hoberg, and upheld the termination.
Hoberg, who had a perfect score as the home-plate umpire during Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, began placing bets through his friend beginning in 2015 or 2016, and then opened his online account in 2019 when sports betting became legal in his home state of Iowa. Hoberg and his friend shared passwords and accounts, using the messaging app “Telegram.’’ Hoberg and his friend settled outstanding debts in cash when they saw one another in person.
The investigation showed that Hoberg’s devices were used to place 417 direct bets with one sports book between Dec. 30, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2024, spending $487,475.83. These bets lost a total of $53,189.65 .
Major League Baseball fires umpire Pat Hoberg for gambling association
In a shocking turn of events, Major League Baseball has announced the firing of umpire Pat Hoberg due to his association with gambling. The league has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any form of gambling that could compromise the integrity of the game.
Hoberg, who has been a highly respected umpire in the league for several years, was reportedly found to have been involved in betting on baseball games, a serious violation of MLB’s rules and regulations. The league conducted a thorough investigation and determined that Hoberg’s actions were in direct violation of their policies.
This news comes as a major blow to the baseball community, as umpires are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and impartiality. The league has made it clear that they will not tolerate any behavior that could potentially tarnish the reputation of the sport.
While this is a sad day for baseball, it serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the integrity of the game at all costs. Major League Baseball will continue to take decisive action against anyone who threatens the integrity of the sport, no matter how high-ranking they may be.
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