MLB fires umpire Pat Hoberg for shared betting accounts - ESPN

Following a lengthy appeals process, Major League Baseball on Monday has fired umpire Pat Hoberg for «sharing» legal sports betting accounts with a friend who bet on baseball and for intentionally deleting messages key to the investigation into his conduct.

MLB said Hoberg «adamantly denied betting on baseball directly or indirectly,» with commissioner Rob Manfred saying there was «no evidence» that Hoberg directly bet on games or manipulated the outcomes of any games «in any way.»

In its statement, MLB said it fired Hoberg for failing to «uphold the integrity of the game» and that he «should have known» that his friend — a professional poker player — had bet on baseball from the shared account.

The 38-year-old Hoberg, who was widely regarded as the best ball-strike umpire in MLB, can apply for reinstatement no earlier than the start of spring training in 2026.

«I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today's statement [by MLB]» Hoberg said in a statement via the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA). «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."

In its release, MLB detailed its findings from its investigation as well as a neutral factfinder, including information from witness testimony and review of electronic records.

Hoberg met his