MLB shoots Umpire Pat Hoberg for violation of game policy

MLB issued a statement today about Pat Hoberg. Umpire is fired for violating the league’s game policy. Per MLB’s statement there is no evidence that Hoberg himself is focusing at stake or that the results of any game were compromised. However, the statement says Hobert shared a gaming account with a professional poker player where this friend uses this account to bet on baseball. The statement also says Hoberg deleted messages related to the investigation.

News about the Hoberg situation first came out in June, as covered by MLBTR at that time. MLB released a statement at the time and said the league had begun to investigate Hoberg during spring training and that discipline was justified. Hoberg decided to appeal.

According to today’s statement, Commissioner Rob Manfred has maintained the decision, “after an appeal process in accordance with his collective negotiation agreement (CBA) with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA).”

“MLB immediately opened an investigation in February 2024,” the statement reads, “after receiving information from a licensed sports betting operator, that Hoberg had opened a sports betting account in his own name and that the personal electronic device associated with this account, also associated with the legal sports betting account for a person not covered by MLB’s policy (individual A) who had a rate on baseball. the investigative process.

According to the statement, Hoberg “Adamant has denied betting on baseball directly or indirectly (ie through his friend) and the data provided by the sports books does not show any baseball bet from his own electronic devices.” It continues to state that the league “found no evidence that Hoberg or anyone else took any action to manipulate the results of any game, and an analysis of the betting data did not show any clear patterns suggesting an integrity risk.”

Sore Anthony Castrovince from MLB.comNone of the bets placed from Hoberg’s devices were on baseball. However, the friend’s device bet on baseball 141 times, including eight games that Hoberg worked. “The study found no pattern to indicate that Hoberg’s call was affected by the effort, none of which was profitable,” per. Castrovince.

Jesse Rogers from ESPN Gives some more details about the event between Hoberg and his friend, who met at a poker tournament in 2014 and became friends. In 2019, online sports betting became legal in Iowa, where Hoberg lives. The vein opened legal accounts with two sports books, and Hoberg “asked his friend to place non-baseball sports betting for him using accounts to do so.” Later, “Friend gave Hoberg. “The two friends communicated via the app telegram and kept logs over their gaming activity in there, and later debt wounded in cash when they saw each other personally. After being contacted by MLB, the Venen Telegram threads with Hoberg deleted and Hoberg deleted his own Telegram account. MLB was unable to retrieve these messages.

MLB’s statement continues to state that Michael Hill, senior vice president of on -site operations, decided that Hoberg demonstrated poor judgment and could not be trusted to “maintain the integrity of the international game baseball.” Hoberg was notified on May 31, 2024, that he would be fired. He appealed the decision to Manfred, although CBA with the judges requires the involvement of a mutually agreed “neutral facts” that would investigate the events in question. According to the declaration, Manfred is to give “proper consideration” to the results of this factfinder, but “is not bound by them and can make an independent judgment that is final, binding and not subject to the complaint procedure or the challenge in any other forum.”

A statement from Manfred was included in the release from the league: “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules for sports betting is a critical component of maintaining our most important priority: protecting our game for fans. 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. However, his extremely poor judgment in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe in Bet on baseball, and who actually bets on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages of inappropriate guarantee 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. “

Hoberg also released a statement today with Evan Drellich from Athletic Among those who forward it to the public. “I take full responsibility for the mistakes described in today’s statement,” says Hoberg. “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 and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape or shape. 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. “

Hoberg can apply for reintroduction, but only at the beginning of 2026 spring training.