Betting has been a part of sporting events for as long as there has been sporting events.
The latest person caught up in an ever growing list of betting scandals is Major League Baseball umpire Pat Hoberg who has been fired for being tied sports betting.
While Hoberg himself did not bet on any baseball games himself or manipulate any of those games; he did allow friends access to his sports gambling accounts and purposely deleted texts related to the investigation. Records showed that 141 bets totaling $214,000 were made using Hoberg’s account; eight of which were games that Hoberg worked.
MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill made the recommendation to Commissioner Rob Manfred that Hoberg should be let go last May. On February 3 Manfred followed through with that recommendation.
MLB has spent the last year investigating the matter after Sportsbook brought the matter to the attention of the MLB. Hoberg is known as one of the highest rated umpires when it comes to calling balls and strikes did not umpire a game over the last season. He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement in 2026.
The first recorded betting scandal involving baseball was the infamous “Black Sox Scandal” in 1920 where eight players were charged with “fixing” the games of the 1919 World Series. But perhaps the most famous was in 1989 when Cincinnati Reds catcher Pete Rose was charged with betting on games on games while he was still playing and managing. Ultimately, Rose was banned from baseball for a lifetime including induction into the Hall of Fame.
Prior to Hoberg’s firing, the most recent scandal took place in June 2024 when San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for betting on baseball. He placed 387 bets totaling $150,000 on baseball games.