Pat Hoberg

Pat Hoberg
Pat Hoberg
	Hoberg in 2014
	Born: September 11, 1986 (age 38); Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
MLB debut
	March 31, 2014
Last MLB appearance
	September 17, 2023
Career highlights and awards
	Special Assignments Wild Card Games (2018, 2020); Division Series (2019, 2021, 2022); League Championship Series (2020); World Series (2022); World Baseball Classic (2023); Field of Dreams Game (2021); Called a perfect game on October 29, 2022.;

Patrick Hoberg (born September 11, 1986) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire. In the 2022 World Series he called the first ever “perfect game” by an umpire by not getting a single ball or strike call incorrect. Hoberg was widely regarded as the best ball-strike umpire in MLB.^[1]

Career

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Hoberg graduated from Urbandale High School and Grand View University.^[2]

Hoberg made his Major League debut in 2014, and was one of four umpires promoted to the full-time staff in February 2017, upon the retirements of Bob Davidson, John Hirschbeck, Jim Joyce, and Tim Welke.^[3]

For the 2018 regular season he was found to be a Top 10 performing home plate umpire in terms of accuracy in calling balls and strikes. His error rate was 7.93 percent. This was based on a study conducted at Boston University where 372,442 pitches were culled and analyzed.^[4]

On October 29, 2022, during Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, Hoberg called a "perfect game" with 129 of 129 taken pitches called correctly. Hoberg received widespread praise from both fans and commentators of baseball.^[5]

On June 14, 2024, MLB announced that Hoberg was disciplined following an investigation into a violation of the league's gambling rules. Hoberg appealed the decision, denying having bet on baseball. He did not umpire any games during the 2024 season.^[6] It was later revealed that the investigation began in February, and he was initially fired on May 31.^[1]

On February 3, 2025, MLB fired Hoberg for violation of the league's gambling rules following the appeal. It was found that he shared betting accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games, and that Hoberg deleted evidence pertaining to the league's investigation. He can apply for reinstatement for the 2026 MLB season.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "MLB upholds firing of ump for gambling violations". ESPN.com. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
^ Birch, Tommy (April 5, 2014). "Sunday Stretch: Urbandale umpire Hoberg gets MLB break". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
^ "Four longtime MLB umpires set to retire". USA Today. Associated Press. February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
^ "MLB Umpires Missed 34,294 Ball-Strike Calls in 2018. Bring on Robo-umps?". BU Today. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
^ Weisman, Max (October 30, 2022). "MLB umpire Pat Hoberg praised for calling 'perfect game' in World Series". New York Post. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
^ "MLB Disciplines Umpire Pat Hoberg". ESPN. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

External links

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[firing-1] "MLB upholds firing of ump for gambling violations". ESPN.com. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.

[2] Birch, Tommy (April 5, 2014). "Sunday Stretch: Urbandale umpire Hoberg gets MLB break". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 23, 2017.

[3] "Four longtime MLB umpires set to retire". USA Today. Associated Press. February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.

[4] "MLB Umpires Missed 34,294 Ball-Strike Calls in 2018. Bring on Robo-umps?". BU Today. Retrieved June 29, 2019.

[5] Weisman, Max (October 30, 2022). "MLB umpire Pat Hoberg praised for calling 'perfect game' in World Series". New York Post. Retrieved October 30, 2022.

[6] "MLB Disciplines Umpire Pat Hoberg". ESPN. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

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