After decades of dedication and over 1,200 games, Jen Pawol finally got the phone call she’d been waiting for:
“You’re going to the big leagues, and you’re going to make history.”
On Saturday, Pawol stepped onto the field as the first female umpire in Major League Baseball history, working first base in the opening game of the Miami Marlins/Atlanta Braves doubleheader. She moved to third base for the second game, and by Sunday, she was behind home plate calling the shots as head umpire.
“It was pretty amazing when we took the field, and it seemed like quite a few people started clapping and saying my name,” Pawol told MLB.com. “So that was pretty intense and very emotional.”
Pawol’s road to history started with seven years of NCAA softball umpiring before she broke into professional baseball. From rookie leagues to the minors, she steadily climbed the ranks, even becoming the first female to umpire a Triple-A Championship game in 2023. But there was still one last level to reach, and it came with an even bigger milestone.
Since Major League Baseball was formed in 1903, no woman had ever taken on the role of MLB umpire, until now. Pawol’s black umpire hat from her debut game is already on its way to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Chris Guccione, the crew chief for Saturday’s game, said the moment hit him hard. “It gives me chills… even thinking about it and the magnitude. I was just sitting here (and) it kind of just hit me just now. I have a daughter, and she was so excited to meet Jen. And this is just a great role model for girls and women out there.”
At 48 years old, Pawol’s big league career is just beginning. “It’s just incredible,” she said. “The dream actually came true today, and I’m still living in it.”
- From Unwanted to Unstoppable: Chewy the Shih Tzu Finds His Forever Family in a Senior Living Center - September 18, 2025
- Teen Who Started Reading Program During Pandemic Still Brings Joy to Special Needs Kids Five Years Later - September 18, 2025
- Uber Ride Turns Into a Life-Changing Friendship That’s Still Going Strong Seven Years Later - September 18, 2025
