Jen Pawol breaks MLB’s gender barrier as 1st female umpire to work a regular-season game – National

Jen Pawol has made history as the primary female umpire to work a regular-season game in the most important leagues.

Pawol’s much-anticipated debut got here as the primary base umpire for Saturday’s first game of a split doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.

She enjoyed a quiet first inning, watching as Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep struck out the primary two batters before Agustin Ramirez lined out to 3rd baseman Nacho Alvarez.

The Braves also were set down so as by Miami right-hander Ryan Gusto in the underside of the primary inning, with no calls from Pawol needed at first base.

As the primary base umpire, Pawol’s responsibility was to examine Waldrep’s hands for foreign substances following the inning. During that transient encounter she also appeared to receive a warm greeting from Braves catcher Sean Murphy on his strategy to the dugout.

Pawol’s first real test got here within the third inning when she called Braves catcher Sean Murphy secure on a detailed play. Replays indicated Murphy could have been out, but Marlins manager Clayton McCullough didn’t challenge the decision.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the globe, enroll for breaking news alerts delivered on to you once they occur.

Pawol also showed she’s going to make animated calls. When Miami’s Xavier Edwards grounded right into a double play, Pawol pumped her fist and lifted her leg when she called Edwards out within the third inning.

Pawol couldn’t help but notice her debut was being watched closely. Fans responded with a warm ovation when the video board focused on the umpire between innings, forcing her to take a fast glance at her image.

Pawol will work third base in Saturday night’s second game of the doubleheader. She might be within the highlight when she calls pitches behind the plate in Sunday’s final game of the series.

There was much anticipation for her historic debut on Saturday. A crowd of photographers gathered while waiting for the umpires to walk onto the sphere from their entry ramp near the Marlins dugout.

McCullough and Braves bench coach Walt Weiss greeted Pawol when lineups were exchanged at home plate before the sport. Pawol then jogged down the primary bottom line. She shook hands with Marlins first base coach Tyler Smarslok before taking her position on the suitable field line for the primary pitch.

Pawol said Thursday she was “overcome with emotion” when notified she would make her Major League Baseball debut this weekend.

“It was super emotional to finally be living that phone call that I’d been hoping for and dealing towards for quite some time, and I just felt super full — I feel like a totally charged battery able to go,” Pawol said.

Pawol, 48, has been working within the minor leagues since she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League in 2016. She was assigned the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and worked spring training games in 2024 and again this 12 months.

Pawol, who’s from Recent Jersey, had only a couple of days to organize for Saturday’s doubleheader. She said she was told of her long-awaited promotion during a Wednesday conference call with director of umpire development Wealthy Rieker and vice chairman of umpire operations Matt McKendry.

Pawol was a three-time all-conference softball selection pick at Hofstra. She worked as an NCAA softball umpire from 2010-16.

Pawol’s rise to make MLB history got here 28 years after the NBA gender barrier for game officials was broken and 10 years after the NFL hired its first full-time female official.

The lads’s soccer World Cup first hired a female referee three years ago. The NHL has not had any women as on-ice officials.

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press