The National Pastime’s governing body, Major League Baseball (MLB), has declared that umpire Pat Hoberg has faced repercussions for violating the league’s regulations concerning wagering on sporting events. Hoberg has publicly stated his disagreement with the ruling, which was first disclosed by Sports Illustrated.
The precise nature of Hoberg’s penalty remains unclear, but he has been absent from any games this season. In a formal statement released on Friday, MLB asserted that Hoberg did not attempt to influence the outcome of any contests, but they refrained from definitively stating that he did not place bets on baseball.
According to the league’s established guidelines, placing bets on baseball can result in a one-year suspension. If an individual wagers on games they are directly involved in, coach, or officiate, they face a lifetime ban.
Hoberg is actively challenging the decision.
“During the spring training period this year, Major League Baseball conducted an inquiry into a potential breach of MLB’s gambling regulations by umpire Pat Hoberg,” the statement read. “Mr. Hoberg was removed from his on-field duties while the investigation was underway.”
Despite the lack of “conclusive evidence that any games officiated by Mr. Hoberg were altered or compromised in any manner,” MLB deemed “disciplinary action to be warranted.” MLB declined to provide further details.
Hoberg joined the ranks of MLB umpires in 2014 and transitioned to a full-time role in 2017. He was selected to officiate in the postseason every year from 2018 to 2022.
Based on the analysis of UmpScorecards.com’s accuracy specialists, Hoberg achieved a flawless performance in the second game of the 2022 World Series. He accurately identified every single one of the 129 pitches. [Game 2 performance](https://x.com/UmpScorecards/status/1586735374985854976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586735374985854976%7Ctwgr%5Ea0b259bd47111b58a12807fbd58ec9acac9ceeab%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%Fftw.usatoday.com%2Flists%2Fumpire-pat-hoberg-perfect-game-world-series-game-2-reaction-astros-phillies-fans)
If Hoberg’s decisions are confirmed, he would be the first MLB referee to face punishment for engaging in gambling since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.
There has not been a significant gambling controversy in major US professional leagues since 2008, when former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and transmitting wagering information.
Donaghy was found to have placed bets on NBA contests for four years and shared confidential information with gamblers. At that time, sports betting was prohibited at the federal level, with only Nevada being legal.
The league continues to struggle with gambling controversies.
The most recent statement adds to a series of gambling controversies that MLB is currently handling.
Nine days ago, the league permanently banned former Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano and suspended four other players.
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Macano, while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, engaged in wagering on Pirates games. He became the first player to be permanently banned for gambling since Pete Rose in 1989.
Four other players, including Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and minor league players Andrew Salfrank, Jay Groom, and Jose Rodriguez, were prohibited for a year for placing bets on baseball games.
Ippei Mizuhara, who was Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter and a two-time Most Valuable Player, confessed on June 4th to stealing $17 million from Ohtani to settle gambling debts. Mizuhara was involved in gambling with an illicit betting company and lost hundreds of millions of dollars. He is currently awaiting his sentence.
David Fletcher, Ohtani’s former Los Angeles Angels teammate, is also under scrutiny. Fletcher, currently a minor league player for the Atlanta Braves, is reportedly involved in wagering with the same illegal company as Mizuhara.
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