Tag: Pat Hoberg

Why MLB’s best umpire Pat Hoberg isn’t working the 2023 World Series

MLB’s best umpire won’t be working the World Series.

Every year, MLB should make it a goal to have the best umpires working the World Series. After all, these are the biggest games, and blown calls could impact who lifts the Commissioner’s Trophy.

But when MLB released its umpiring assignments for the World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, one name was notably missing: Pat Hoberg.

There’s a reason for that, though.

You may remember that Hoberg made history last year with a perfect game in the World Series. He was the first umpire to call a game perfectly since umpire tracking started. And he followed that up with a strong 2023. He was the second-best umpire in all of baseball this season, according to Umpire Scorecards. And since 2020, he has been MLB’s most accurate umpire. Simply put, he’s an umpire who should be working the World Series.

Yet, according to MLB rules, umpires are not allowed to work the World Series in consecutive years.

That policy dates back to at least 2018, which prevents umpires from working the World Series consecutively.

Though that policy keeps MLB’s best umpire away from MLB’s biggest games in 2023, it explains why Hoberg won’t be working any of the games in Arizona and Texas.

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Alex Cora threw a weird tantrum and was ejected over a correct call from umpire Pat Hoberg

He’s baseball’s best ump for a reason…

When teams see umpire assignments, they know right away that they’re in for a long night when certain umps (i.e. Angel Hernandez, Brian O’Nora, Laz Diaz …) are scheduled to work behind the plate. Pat Hoberg is not one of those umpires.

That’s what made Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s tantrum on Tuesday night so strange.

While no human umpire can compete on a daily basis with an automated strike zone (ABS or robot umps), Hoberg is the one umpire to have a perfect game behind the plate … and he did so in he World Series. He’s not going to be perfect every night, but he has the credibility to call games as he sees it.

So, if a manager is going to freak out on Hoberg, he best be certain that Hoberg missed the call. Or else he’ll end up looking like Cora did here:

During the seventh inning, Cora was furious when Mauricio Llovera’s 3-2 pitch to Alex Bregman was accurately called a ball. He came storming out of the dugout and drew a line around the plate to argue with Hoberg. Cora was quickly ejected. And though the frustration might not have been about that single pitch, Hoberg hadn’t missed a call in that half of the inning.

The Red Sox broadcast tried to frame the exchange as if Hoberg was having an off night, but his scorecard — though not his best performance — showed that his missed calls were borderline. He was consistently calling the lower edge of the zone as a ball, but otherwise, it was a fine outing that actually favored the Red Sox.

No wonder fans were perplexed by the whole tirade. It didn’t make sense.

Umpire Pat Hoberg made history with a perfect game in the World Series and MLB fans were in awe

A legend at the top of his game.

When MLB announced its umpiring crew for the World Series between the Astros and Phillies, there was a lot to like about the selections. In the biggest games — with a championship on the line — you want the best umpires working the series. So, the inclusion of umpire Pat Hoberg — the most accurate ump in baseball — was an absolute must.

In Saturday’s Game 2, Hoberg showed exactly why he’s the best, and he made history in the process.

According to Umpire Scorecards, Hoberg made World Series history by calling a perfect game behind the plate. Out of the 129 taken pitches in the game, Hoberg made the correct call on every single one of them. Considering that pitchers are throwing with more velocity and movement than ever before, that is nothing short of a legendary performance from Hoberg in his first World Series assignment.

This wasn’t the first time that Hoberg had flirted with a perfect game either. Earlier this season, Hoberg narrowly missed the first pitch of a game but went on to call every taken pitch accurately the rest of the way.

He saved his best performance for the biggest moment of his umpiring career, and MLB fans were more than happy to recognize the accomplishment. More umps should be like Hoberg.