Urbandale native and Major League Baseball umpire Pat Hoberg had just finished playing at a golf range in Iowa when he got in his car and noticed a missed call. It was from Michael Hill, the senior vice president of on-field operations for MLB.
Hoberg didn’t even need to call him back to know what the phone call was about. He was getting good news. So, as Hoberg returned Hill’s call, he started driving to his parent’s house in Urbandale to share it with them.
“They didn’t know why I just showed up announced,” Hoberg said.
Hoberg wanted them to be the first to know that he landed an assignment working this year’s World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies. The series starts Friday in Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
“It was a really cool moment,” Hoberg said. “My grandparents were there too. We just kind of had a nice little moment as a family.”
It’s a huge honor, with only the best umpires earning selections to the event. And Hoberg, who is considered one of the most respected umpires in the game, got the call.
Hoberg graduated from Urbandale High School and attended Grand View. The 36-year-old appeared in 371 big-league games as a call-up umpire prior to his promotion to the MLB staff in 2017.
Ever since then, Hoberg has been one of the most consistent umpires and has been rewarded with numerous big assignments. He’s worked three Division Series, a Wild Card Game/Series and one League Championship Series.
Hoberg was even behind the plate in his home state when the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in 2021. Later that year, he was selected for replay duties for the 2021 World Series. But he draws his biggest assignment this week as part of the seven-person crew for the series.
Hoberg compared the news to his first big-league game and then earning a job as a full-time MLB umpire.
“I’ve had great support throughout the whole journey from umpire’s school all the way through the minor leagues and all the way through my early big league career from my parents,” Hoberg said. “So, that was probably the most excited that I was to share that with them. My dad doesn’t get too emotional too often. But, he got emotional.”
Hoberg is a reserve in Game 1, but will be the home plate umpire in Game 2 calling balls and strikes on baseball’s biggest stage.
“Getting the call is one thing,” Hoberg said. “I have to go out and perform now and do it to the best of my ability and hopefully that happens and we get through the whole series.”
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 [email protected] or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.