Jen Pawol started umpiring rookie-league games nine years ago. This weekend she will run the field in Atlanta. MLB confirmed she will work the bases during Saturday’s Miami Marlins-Atlanta Braves double-header at Truist Park and move behind the plate on Sunday. No woman has ever reached that spot in a regular-season game.
A long road from New Jersey to the majors
Pawol grew up in West Milford, New Jersey, and played college softball at Hofstra. After graduation she switched focus from hitting to calling balls and strikes. In 2016 she entered the Gulf Coast League, the first step in the minor-league ladder. By 2023 she was umpiring the Triple-A National Championship, proof that supervisors trusted her judgment and game control.
How the promotion works
MLB keeps a list of Triple-A “call-up” umpires who can fill in when top-tier crews need help. Performance reports, fitness tests, and on-field evaluations decide that list. Pawol is one of the Triple-A umpires on MLB’s call-up roster who fill in when regular crews need an extra hand. Commissioner Rob Manfred said her debut is “a reflection of hard work, dedication, and love of the game.”
Game plan for the historic weekend
- Saturday, Aug. 9: First game of the double-header, Pawol positioned at third base.
- Saturday, Aug. 9: Second game, she shifts to first.
- Sunday, Aug. 10: Pawol calls balls and strikes from behind the plate.
Umpire rotations normally place the plate official at one base on the first day, then move clockwise each game, so the schedule follows standard practice.
Breaking a barrier left standing for decades
Several women have come close before. Pam Postema and Ria Cortesio handled MLB spring training contests in 1988 and 2007. Neither reached the regular season. Pawol did her own spring training assignments in 2024 and 2025 and showed she could keep pace with big-league speed. Now she will do it when the standings count.
What comes next
If Pawol’s first series goes smoothly, she may receive more assignments during the season, especially in September when regular crews spread out for playoff races. Her presence also widens the path for other women in the umpire pipeline.Pawol told reporters last spring that her goal is simple: “Call a fair game and disappear into the background like every good ump.” This weekend she will be front and center, yet her quiet aim remains. Once the first pitch leaves the pitcher’s hand, history will pause, and the count will start. At that moment she will be just another umpire, which is exactly what the breakthrough means.
