The National Pastime’s governing body, Major League Baseball (MLB), has taken disciplinary action against umpire Pat Hoberg for violating league regulations regarding sports wagering. Hoberg is contesting the ruling, which was initially disclosed by Sports Illustrated.
While the specific penalty remains undisclosed, Hoberg has not officiated any games this season. MLB issued a statement asserting that Hoberg did not engage in any game manipulation, but refrained from confirming or denying his involvement in baseball betting.
League regulations stipulate a one-year suspension for wagering on baseball contests. Engaging in betting on games involving one’s own participation, coaching, or umpiring results in a lifetime ban.
Hoberg is challenging the decision.
“During the spring training period this year, Major League Baseball conducted an inquiry into umpire Pat Hoberg regarding a potential breach of MLB’s regulations concerning sports betting,” the statement read. “Mr. Hoberg was removed from active duty while the investigation was underway.”
Despite the absence of “conclusive evidence that any game officiated by Mr. Hoberg was tampered with or altered in any manner,” MLB deemed it “essential to impose a penalty.” The organization provided no further details.
Hoberg joined the ranks of MLB umpires in 2014 and assumed full-time duties in 2017. He was selected to officiate postseason games annually from 2018 to 2022.
Based on the analysis of accuracy assessors at Umscorecards.com, he had a flawless performance in the second game of the 2022 World Series. Hoberg correctly identified all 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%Fftw.usatoday.com%2Flists%2Fumpire-pat-hoberg-perfect-game-world-series-game-2-reaction-astros-phillies-fans)
The suspension would be the initial penalty an umpire received since PASPA was overturned.
If Hoberg’s punishment is upheld, he would be the first MLB umpire to be penalized for wagering since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.
There hasn’t been a significant gambling scandal in a major US professional league since 2008, when former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and transmitting betting information.
Donaghy was discovered to have placed bets on NBA games for four years and shared confidential information with bettors. At that time, sports betting was prohibited at the federal level, with only Nevada being legal.
The league continues to combat gambling scandals.
The latest announcement adds to a series of gambling scandals MLB is currently managing.
Nine days ago, the league banned former Padres infielder Tucapita Marcano for life and suspended four other players.
During his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, Malcano made wagers on Pirates contests. He is the initial individual to be permanently barred from the sport due to betting since Pete Rose in 1989.
Four additional players – Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and minor league athletes Andrew Salfranck, Jay Groom, and Jose Rodriguez – were suspended for a year for placing bets on baseball matches.
Shohei Ohtani, a two-time Most Valuable Player, was deprived of $17 million by his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, on June 4th. Mizuhara confessed to taking the funds to settle gambling obligations. He had placed wagers with an illicit gambling enterprise and lost hundreds of millions of dollars. He is presently awaiting his sentence.
David Fletcher, Ohtani’s previous Los Angeles Angels teammate, is also being scrutinized. Fletcher, now a minor league player for the Atlanta Braves, is supposedly associated with the same illicit gambling company as Mizuhara.
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