Jen Pawol Makes History as First Female MLB Umpire in Marlins vs. Braves Game

ATLANTA — Jen Pawol has made history as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the major leagues.

Pawol made her eagerly awaited debut as the first base umpire for the initial game of a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. It was an uneventful opening inning for her, observing as Braves’ pitcher Hurston Waldrep struck out two batters before Agustin Ramirez hit a line drive caught by third baseman Nacho Alvarez.

The Braves were similarly retired in sequence by Miami’s pitcher Ryan Gusto during the bottom of the first inning, leaving Pawol without any calls to make at first base.

As the first base umpire, Pawol had the duty of inspecting Waldrep’s hands for any illegal substances after the inning. During this brief task, she also appeared to exchange friendly words with Braves’ catcher Sean Murphy as he headed to the dugout.

Pawol faced her first significant challenge in the third inning when she ruled Braves catcher Sean Murphy safe in a tight play. Although replays suggested Murphy could have been out, Marlins’ manager Clayton McCullough opted not to contest the decision.

Pawol demonstrated her flair for animated calls when Miami’s Xavier Edwards hit into a double play. She enthusiastically gestured with a fist pump and a leg lift as she declared Edwards out in 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 quick glance at her image.

Pawol will work third base in Saturday night’s second game of the doubleheader. She will be in the spotlight 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 field 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 game. Pawol then jogged down the first base line. She shook hands with Marlins first base coach Tyler Smarslok before taking her position on the right field line for the first 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 working towards for quite a while, and I just felt super full – I feel like a fully charged battery ready to go,” Pawol said.

Pawol, 48, has been working in 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 year.

Pawol, who is from New Jersey, had only a few days to prepare for Saturday’s doubleheader. She said she was told of her long-awaited promotion during a Wednesday conference call with director of umpire development Rich Rieker and vice president 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 came 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 men’s soccer World Cup first hired a female referee three years ago. The NHL has not had any women as on-ice officials.