Pat Hoberg

Patrick Hoberg

• Height 6' 1", Weight 208 lb.
• School Grand View University
• High School Urbandale High School

• Born September 11, 1986 in Des Moines, IA USA

Biographical Information

Pat Hoberg umpired his first major league game at the start of the 2014 season. He was still officially a member of the Pacific Coast League umpires' roster at the time, but has been working almost full-time in the majors since making his debut. In 2017, he was one of four umpires added to the full-time major league staff.

He attended the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring in 2009 and began his professional career in the Arizona League that season. He later worked games in the Appalachian League, Florida State League and Texas League before earning a promotion to the PCL. In a high-profile assignment, he worked the 2013 Futures Game.

As one of the few major league umpires from Iowa, he was selected to be the home plate umpire for the "Field of Dreams Game", the first major league game to be played in Iowa, on August 12, 2021. As the home plate umpire in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, he received a perfect grade on judging balls and strikes - not missing a single call! He had been the highest rated umpire in terms of such calls during the regular season, so his performance was not really a surprise. He worked the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

He failed to work any games in 2024, and the league did not offer any explanation as to why he was missing from its roster, until the media broke a story in June that he had been fired on May 31st for violating MLB's policy on gambling and was appealing the sanctions. While MLB stated that Hoberg had not bet on any games that he worked, it had launched an investigation during spring training that year due to alleged violations of its sports betting policies and determined that discipline was warranted. Hoberg immediately appealed, and both sides refused to comment further on the allegations. The news broke out shortly after MLB had announced a lifetime suspension of IF Tucupita Marcano for violation of its policies on gambling, albeit allegedly more serious ones. Hoberg did not return to work that season. On February 3 2025, Hoberg's firing was confirmed upon review of his appeal, with MLB saying 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 an account they shared. Hoberg admitted the charges, stating that he took full responsibility for what he called "errors in judgment" and admitting that his conduct had fallen short of MLB's high standards expected from umpires. He was able to apply for reinstatement in the spring of 2026, and the contrite nature of his comments seemed to indicate that it was what he was intending to do.

Further Reading

• Gabe Lacques: "MLB disciplines top-rated umpire Pat Hoberg for violating gambling policy; Hoberg appealing", USA Today, June 14, 2024. [1]
• Ryan Young: "Pat Hoberg over gambling violation, though he denies betting on or manipulating games", Yahoo! Sports, February 3, 2025. [2]

Related Sites

• Pat Hoberg on Retrosheet.org