Urbandale native and MLB umpire Pat Hoberg calls World Series 'best week of my life'
Major League Baseball umpire Pat Hoberg has always tried to stay away from any attention that comes with a job that usually draws headlines only when a mistake is made.
But the Iowa native couldn't avoid it last month. Hoberg was the center of attention for good news. He tallied a perfect game, accurately calling every single pitch from behind the plate in Game 2 of the World Series.
“I don’t necessarily love the attention because as an umpire, it’s just best that nobody knows who you are,” Hoberg said in an interview with The Des Moines Register.
Not in this case, though. Everyone in the baseball world knew who Hoberg was after the Urbandale High School and Grand View graduate became an unexpected star after the second game of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.
Hoberg, according to Umpire Scorecards, correctly called all 129 pitches taken during Game 2. It was an extraordinary feat for any umpire, especially considering the amount of scrutiny for every pitch. The perfect game made Hoberg a social media star.
Fans and commentators praised his work. Chicago Cubs All-Star Ian Happ raved about Hoberg and his professionalism in a video he posted online following the performance. Interview requests started flowing in. Hoberg said his phone was buzzing with messages from friends.
“When I got done with my plate game ... I didn’t feel like I had my best game but I didn’t feel like I had my worst game and I knew I was comfortable with my performance,” Hoberg said. “And then just to have it blow up with things like that, just to have all the support and people inquiring about the job that I did ... that was pretty cool.”
Hoberg was already highly regarded as one of the best umpires in MLB. The 36-year-old made his big-league debut in 2014 and was promoted to the full-time staff in 2017. He has worked three Division Series, a Wild Card Game/Series and one League Championship Series. Hoberg also worked in the replay room for last year's World Series.
But this year's World Series was his first time on the field and on baseball's biggest stage. And he shined.
"It was probably the best week of my life," Hoberg said.
The highlight of it all wasn't the perfect game, though. Hoberg said the best moment came after the series ended and he saw his dad, John Hoberg, in the tunnel at the stadium in Houston. The two cried and embraced for a huge hug.
"Probably the proudest moment of my life," Hoberg said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Umpire, Urbandale native Pat Hoberg calls perfect game in World Series
