Umpire Pat Hoberg fired by MLB to share sports game accounts with friend who bets on baseball

New York (AP) – Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired on Monday by Major League Baseball for sharing his legal sports game accounts with a friend who bets on baseball games and to intentionally delete electronic messages relevant to the league’s investigation.

MLB opened the investigation in February last year when it was brought to its attention by the sports book, and Hoberg Judge Didn’t Last Season. While MLB said the study did not reveal evidence that Hoberg personally focused on baseball or manipulated games, MLB Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations Michael Hill recommended on May 24 that Hoberg was fired.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Monday he maintained Hill’s decision. Among the highest classified judge by judging the strike zone, Hoberg can apply for reintroduction earlier than 2026 spring training.

MLB said the vein made 141 baseball bet between April 2, 2021 and November 1, 2023, a total of almost $ 214,000 with a total win of almost $ 35,000.

“The strict enforcement of the Major League Baseball’s rules for sports betting is a critical component of maintaining our most important priority: To protect the integrity of our fans,” Manfred said in a statement. “A comprehensive study revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed efforts on baseball directly, or that he or any other manipulated games in any way.

“His extremely bad judgment by sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player, he had reason to believe that betting on baseball, and who actually bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at least that look of inappropriate guaranteeing to impose the most serious discipline. Therefore, there is just reason to maintain Mr. Hoberg’s termination not to comply with high standards of personal behavior and to maintain the integrity of the baseball game. “

Now 38, Hoberg debuted his Big League in 2014. Under Game 2 in the 2022 World Series he had an unprecedented “Umpire’s perfect game” by exactly calling balls and strikes on all 129 taken seats, according to computer tracking.

“I take full responsibility for the mistakes in the verdict described in today’s statement,” Hoberg said in a statement. “These mistakes will always be a source of shame and embarrassment for me. Major League Baseball Umpires are kept to a high standard of personal behavior and my own behavior fell under this standard.

“That said, to be ready, I never have and would never bet on baseball in any way, form or form. I have never delivered and would never give information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Maintaining the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me. I apologize to Major League Baseball and the whole baseball community for my mistakes. I promise to learn from them and be a better version of myself moving on. “

According to Umpires’ collective negotiation agreement, Hoberg had the right to appeal Hill’s decision and triggered the employment of MLB for a neutral fact that gave a report to Manfred.

MLB said the sports book informed Hoberg opening an account in its name on January 30 last year and that an electronic device associated with the account had access to an account in another person’s name. Baseball.

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