The best pitch-calling MLB umpire is Pat Hoberg. According to umpirescorecards.com, Hoberg had a league-best 95.3% accuracy rate calling balls and strikes and was the only umpire to record a 100% accurate game. With such a clean track record, why is MLB firing their best representative of such a highly scrutinized group?
After a lengthy appeals process, Major League Baseball announced its decision to fire Hoberg, who admits to placing bets on his friend’s account but never on baseball. Sports betting was originally illegal in his state, and Hoberg used his friend to place bets. Hoberg interfered with the investigation, deleting important text messages. The two used the Telegram app to communicate and quickly erased data when contacted by MLB investigators.
MLB has proof of eight bets over five games, in which the shared account gambled, and Hoberg had responsibility. Hoberg created an account when it became legal. This, however, raised flags, as his device already had his friend’s account on it, with the two sharing username and password information. There is no evidence Hoberg gambled on baseball directly, but we will never know what was deleted. The missing information played a big part in the decision, per MLB.
Without proof of direct bets on baseball, Hoberg should have known better than to risk his career for illegal gambling. The number of superstars across all sports caught doing something shady is growing exponentially. Hoberg can apply for reinstatement after the start of 2026 spring training. Can the best umpire of all time back a comeback, or is that gambling scandal too much to bounce back from?
Howe Fresh
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