Jen Pawol is set to make history tomorrow when she becomes the first female umpire to work a Major League Baseball (MLB) regular-season game. She will make her debut as part of a five-member crew that will officiate the Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins games this weekend at Atlanta’s Truist Park. She is scheduled to work the bases for Saturday’s doubleheader and then call balls and strikes on Sunday.
This is perhaps the most significant milestone in her umpiring career, but she has been a record-breaker since she worked her first minor league game in 2016. She has impressed observers at every level she has worked with her knowledge, temperament, and keen judgment.
Where it Started for Pawol
A New Jersey native, Pawol attended Hofstra University, where she was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association All-Conference selection in softball as a catcher. And she was good enough to earn a spot on the USA Baseball Women’s National team in 2001. When she returned to academics to pursue a master’s degree in painting from Hunter College, she umpired fastpitch softball games on weekends to earn extra money.
Next, she began taking classes for a teaching certificate, but she felt something was missing from her life. She realized how much she enjoyed umpiring and changed her focus as she became an NCAA softball official from 2010 to 2016. Attending an umpire camp in 2015, one of her instructors was MLB umpire Ted Barrett, who encouraged her to participate in an upcoming umpire camp in Cincinnati.
Attending the Academy and Moving Up the Ranks
Pawol earned a scholarship to the MLB Umpire’s Academy and by 2016, she was working Rookie-level Gulf Coast League games. She became just the seventh woman ever to umpire a minor league game. In the past 10 seasons, she has called over 1,200 games at every level of the minor league system. She made history at most of her stops, including in 2023, becoming the first female umpire to work a Triple-A game in 34 years.
She added to her credentials by calling balls and strikes in a Triple-A league championship series. Pawol reached another pinnacle in 2024, becoming the first female umpire since 2007 and the third woman ever to officiate an MLB spring training game. Because of her dedication to her craft, she became one of only 17 Triple-A umpires eligible to substitute for a big-league crew member.
Historical Context and Words from Jen
Major League Baseball lags behind some other men’s professional sports leagues in allowing female officials. The National Basketball Association introduced two female referees to the league during the 1997 season. The National Football League hired its first female official in 2012. And the National Hockey League has never employed a female on ice official in a regular-season game.
Pawol has said this about her career and her big opportunity.
“Someone told me about the MLB Umpire Camps program and even put it in my mind that what I had been kind of told or not told, for whatever reason, about professional baseball and how welcoming and amazing it is for women to work in, as soon as I heard that, I went and checked it out for myself. And they were right. I think more women need to know that it’s a safe environment, it’s welcoming, it’s incredible. I went in 2015 … I had an amazing time, I felt like it was going to be a great day, and it turned out to be amazing, and it was going to change my life, actually.”
And MLB commissioner Rob Manfred offered his best wishes to Pawol.
“Pawol’s call-up is an historic accomplishment and a reflection of Jen’s hard work, dedication and love of the game. She has earned this opportunity, and we are proud of the strong example she has set, particularly for all the women and young girls who aspire to roles on the field. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my congratulations to Jen and her family on this milestone.”
Closing
Here’s wishing Jen Pawol a happy and argument-free weekend! And we look forward to her long career as an MLB umpire.
