“There is just cause to uphold Mr. Hoberg’s termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
The 38-year-old Hoberg can apply for reinstatement at the spring training in 2026.
“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,” Hoberg said in a statement.
“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.”
Hoberg joined the full-time major league staff in 2017, worked his first postseason game in 2018, and his first World Series game in 2022. He was one of the highest-rated umpires for accuracy calling balls and strikes.
MLB started its investigation a year ago after learning Hoberg had opened a betting account in his name using a device associated with his friend, who the league knew had bet on baseball.
From April 2021 to Nov, 2023, the unidentified friend wagered $214,000 on 141 baseball bets. Nineteen of those bets were placed from Hoberg’s home in Iowa. Eight bets involved five games that Hoberg umpired or was the replay official for.
Per the Associated Press, the five games were:
⋅ April 13, 2021, between the Reds and Giants. Hoberg had three close calls at third base that MLB said he ruled correctly on. There were money line bets of $2,000 and $1,000 on Cincinnati, which lost, 7-6.
⋅ June 15, 2021, between the Cubs and Mets. Hoberg was the lead replay umpire, but there were no replay reviews in New York’s 3-2 victory. There was a $1,050 bet on a live runs line; the bet won and paid $1,550.
⋅ Aug. 15, 2021: Hoberg was the plate umpire for the Dodgers’ 14-4 win over the Mets and had 98.89 percent accuracy, missing two pitches that MLB said were in low-leverage situations and benefited Los Angeles. A $3,200 money line bet for the Dodgers paid $5,200.
⋅ Oct. 8, 2021: Hoberg was the third base umpire for the Dodgers’ 4-0 loss to San Francisco in an NL Division Series opener and did not have any close calls. A $2,000 money line bet and $3,000 run line bet on the Giants both won and paid a combined $9,300.
⋅ Oct. 30, 2021: Hoberg was lead replay official for Game 4 of the World Series between the Astros and Braves. Houston challenged a call at second base in the sixth inning of the Braves’ 3-2 win and Hoberg upheld the call by Alfonso Márquez — a decision MLB said was supported by its replay operations center staff.
Money line bets on Houston of $3,000 and $1,050 on the Astros both lost.
In all, the shared accounts bet $700,000 over three years, mostly on basketball, football, golf, and hockey.
Hoberg was fired on May 31, 2024, and appealed, seeking further investigation. The final decision rested with Manfred and he upheld the initial decision made by senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill.
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” Manfred said.
The Major League Umpires Association issued a statement saying it would never defend an umpire who bet on baseball.
“But as today’s statement from the league makes clear, the neutral factfinder did not find that Pat placed bets on baseball. Yet we respect Pat’s unequivocal acceptance of responsibility for the mistakes that led to his termination.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.
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