Pat Hoberg

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, not getting a single ball or strike call incorrect. Hoberg was widely regarded as the best ball-strike umpire in MLB.^[1]

Pat Hoberg
Hoberg in 2014
Born: (1986-09-11) 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.

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]