It’s only been 10 days since MLB’s last handed down discipline for improper gambling and already it’s time to reset the counter.
On Friday evening, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported MLB has disciplined umpire Pat Hoberg for betting activities. It’s not yet known what the punishment is or what spurred the league’s investigation.
Hoberg was pulled from games during spring training and has yet to officiate an MLB game this season.
Let’s sort through what we know.
The most important and obvious question here doesn’t have a satisfying answer. ESPN’s Jeff Passan cited sources who said Hoberg has denied betting on any baseball games and plans to file an appeal to be heard by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. Beyond that we don’t know much about the wagers in question.
The league provided a statement to both The Athletic and ESPN that reads:
During this year’s Spring Training, Major League Baseball commenced an investigation regarding a potential violation of MLB’s sports betting policies by Umpire Pat Hoberg. Mr. Hoberg was removed from the field during the pendency of that investigation. While MLB’s investigation did not find any evidence that games worked by Mr. Hoberg were compromised or manipulated in any way, MLB determined that discipline was warranted. Mr. Hoberg has chosen to appeal that determination. Therefore, we cannot comment further until the appeal process is concluded.
The key detail here is that MLB found no evidence that Hoberg’s calls were manipulated in any way. That feels noteworthy, especially given his history as one of the more respected umps in the game.
At times, he has been exceptional. After entering MLB in 2017, Hoberg quickly sped through the ranks and earned top assignments like the Field of Dreams game betweent the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in 2021, the Mexico City series in 2023 and numerous playoff series. He was behind home plate during Game 2 of the World Series in 2022, and didn’t miss a single ball or strike call, per Umpire Scorecards.
PERFECT GAME
Umpire: Pat Hoberg
Final: Phillies 2, Astros 5#RingTheBell // #LevelUp#PHIvsHOU // #HOUvsPHI#PostseasonMore stats for this game https://t.co/Ic52HanqPA pic.twitter.com/ZfTCNpLU5y
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) October 30, 2022
It sure has been a lot, huh?
We began the year with the Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara ordeal and then barely a week ago MLB suspended multiple players (mostly minor leaguers) for various gambling infractions. Tucupita Marcano was banned for life.
But here’s the thing: betting on baseball has always been against the rules. We simply have more tools these days to catch those who are doing it anyways.
MLB Rule 21 explicitly states “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.” Any player who bets on their own team receives a permanent ban.
Then there’s a third part of the rule that gives Manfred a bit more discretion over punishment and would seemingly apply to Hoberg’s situation:
Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted.
We’ll find out if Hoberg does file an appeal and await for Manfred’s next ruling. Check back here for further updates as the story develops.
