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Major League Baseball umpire Pat Hoberg has been fired over sports betting accounts, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported on Monday (February 3).
Hoberg, 38, reportedly shared accounts with a friend, who was identified as a professional poker player, though there's no evidence that he used it himself or manipulated games that he worked.
"Breaking, per MLB: Umpire Pat Hoberg has been fired for sharing betting accounts with a friend who bet on baseball though there is no evidence Hoberg himself bet on games or manipulated any that he worked. He also deleted messages central to MLB’s investigation," Rogers wrote on his X account.
Hoberg issued a statement on behalf of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) confirming that he made mistakes but denied using the account to bet on games.
"I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today's statement [by MLB]" Hoberg said via ESPN. "Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me.
"Major League Baseball umpires are held to a high standard of personal conduct, and my own conduct fell short of that standard. That said, to be clear, I have never and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape, or form. I have never provided, and would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me."
Hoberg made his MLB debut in 2014 and was promoted to the full-time staff in February 2017. The Iowa native is best known for perfect calling Game 2 of the 2022 World Series as the plate umpire, accurately calling 129 balls and strikes correctly and is widely regarded as the best ball-strike umpire in the league.