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.
🚨PERFECT GAME🚨
Umpire: Pat Hoberg
Final: Phillies 2, Astros 5#RingTheBell // #LevelUp#PHIvsHOU // #HOUvsPHI#PostseasonMore stats for this game 👇https://t.co/Ic52HanqPA pic.twitter.com/ZfTCNpLU5y
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) October 30, 2022
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.