Major League Baseball plans to discipline umpire Pat Horberg following an investigation into possible violations of sports betting rules.
The commissioner’s office said in a statement Friday that Horberg has decided to appeal his suspension. MLB did not disclose the nature of the violation or the scope of the punishment.
“While MLB’s investigation did not find any evidence that the games run by Mr. Horberg were in any way compromised or manipulated, MLB determined that disciplinary action was warranted. Mr. Horberg has elected to appeal that decision, and therefore we will not be able to comment further until the appeal process has concluded,” the statement said.
MLB announced it began investigating Horberg during spring training this year and removed him from the field while the investigation continued.
Horberg, 37, first umpired a major league game in 2014 and joined the full-time umpire staff in 2017. He received perfect marks for calling balls and strikes while working home plate for Game 2 of the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.
His other postseason assignments include the 2018 American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium, the 2019 National League Division Series, the 2020 National League Wild Card Series, the 2020 National League Championship Series, the 2021 National League Division Series and the 2022 American League Division Series. He also worked replay for the 2021 World Series.
Horberg will umpire in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was selected to officiate the Field of Dreams Game between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees in August 2021. He is the first Iowa native to experience a major league game.
Prior to becoming a major league umpire, Horberg served as an umpire in the minor leagues, including the Pacific Coast League, Texas League and Florida State League.
