Nothing to see here: Umpire in midst of gambling scandal called consequential Astros perfect game

On Monday, MLB announced that it had fired umpire Pat Hoberg, who was caught sharing sports betting accounts with a professional poker player who used those accounts to bet on baseball. While there's no evidence (yet, at least) that Hoberg bet on games himself, it's still an obviously terrible look for the game, and — considering Hoberg's proximity to the betting activity and his status as an upholder of the rules — an even more serious breach than the Ippei Mizuhara scandal from last spring.

In the wake of that breach, it's only natural for people to start poring through history in search of clues that Hoberg was tampering with the outcomes of games. But if you're looking for evidence, you're going to be looking for a while: Not only did Hoberg grade out consistently as one of the most accurate home-plate umpires in the sport, but he also authored quite possibly the most impressive performance by an ump in recent memory.

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Pat Hoberg called perfect game behind the plate in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series

To be clear, this isn't to say that Hoberg didn't deserve to lose his job, or that he's absolved of responsibility. The bar is rightfully set very high for all league employees, but particularly umpires, and MLB was forced to act to avoid the appearance of any impropriety. Still, it sure doesn't seem like Hoberg's proximity to baseball betting influenced the outcomes of any games he was behind the plate for.

Hoberg made his MLB debut back in 2014, being added to the league's full-time umpiring staff ahead of the 2017 season. And it didn't take him long to establish himself as among the best in the business: According to a Boston University study that analyzed over 34,000 ball-strike calls over the 2018 campaign, Hoberg graded out in the top 10 in terms of accuracy.

If you want even more proof, look no further than October of 2022, when Hoberg called a perfect game — judging 100 percent of pitches correctly — in Game 2 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the first perfect game recorded since observers had begun tracking such data, and it earned him widespread praise from all corners of the baseball world.

All of which just makes this whole situation even sadder. Hoberg, by all available evidence, was one of the very best at his profession, and baseball could certainly use as many of those as it can get its hands on right now. But actions have consequences, and Hoberg had to know that the league couldn't afford the reputational hit of keeping him around