Jun 14, 2024, 8:28 PM ET
MLB disciplines umpire Pat Hoberg for violating game rules, sources told ESPN. Hoberg has denied betting on baseball and is appealing discipline
Major League Baseball (MLB) has sanctioned to the umpire Pat Hoberg by rape the rules of game of the league, sources told ESPN10 days after the league imposed a lifetime ban on one player for gambling and suspended four others for one year.
Hoberg has denied betting on baseball and is appealing the discipline, sources told ESPN. The exact nature of the discipline is unknown, but Hoberg has not worked any games this season. The league, in a statement, did not indicate whether its investigation into Hoberg showed that he bet on baseball.
In the statement, MLB said: “During spring training this year, Major League Baseball launched an investigation into a possible violation of MLB’s sports betting policies by umpire Pat Hoberg. Mr. Hoberg was removed from the field While that investigation was pending. MLB’s investigation found no evidence that games worked by Mr. Hoberg were compromised or manipulated in any way, MLB determined that the discipline was warranted and Mr. Hoberg decided to appeal that determination. Therefore, we cannot comment further until the appeal process is concluded.
The messages that ESPN left to Hoberg earlier this week were not answered. The Athletic was the first to report Hoberg’s sanction.
If he were found to have bet on baseball, Hoberg would be violating MLB Rule 21, which punishes those who bet on games they participated in with a lifetime ban and games they did not participate in with a one-year suspension. anus.
The last major American professional sports official to bet on games was referee of the NBA, Tim Donaghywho in 2007 was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmit betting information through interstate commerce after admitting to betting on games for four seasons and passing along tips to players.
Hoberg, 37, is best known for his perfect performance in Game 2 of the World Series, when he umpired home plate and called all 129 balls and strikes correctly. He is widely considered the best strike umpire in MLB.
Hoberg first umpired Major League games in 2014 and became a full-time umpire in 2017. Hoberg umpired postseason games every year from 2018-2022 and was assigned to pool games in the World Baseball Classic. of 2023.
The week of June 4, MLB punished San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano after a legal sportsbook informed the league that he had bet on games while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marcano, 24, became the first active player in a century to receive a lifetime ban after placing bets worth more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from July to November 2023, according to MLB.
Oakland Athletics reliever Michael Kelly and three minor league players: Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank, Padres starter Jay Groome and Philadelphia Phillies infielder, Jose Rodriguez, were suspended for one season for betting on Major League games while in the minors. Each bet less than $1,000.
The league investigated and cleared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani after his former performer, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to cover sports betting losses. Mizuhara pleaded guilty on June 4 to bank and tax fraud charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of 33 years.
Additionally, Ohtani’s former Los Angeles Angels teammate David Fletcher is under MLB investigation over allegations he bet with an illegal sportsbook, sources told TJ Quinn.
“Strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing in-game conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for fans,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. a statement announcing the discipline of the players. “The long-standing prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those who play the sport has been a fundamental principle for more than a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing baseball comes with the responsibility of “refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”
