Jen Pawol, a 48-year-old from New Jersey, is set to make history as the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball (MLB) regular-season game during the Miami Marlins-Atlanta Braves series at Truist Park this weekend.
She will work the bases for both games of Saturday’s doubleheader and serve as the home-plate umpire for the series finale on Sunday.
Commissioner Rob Manfred couldn’t be happier about her accomplishments either.
“This historic accomplishment in baseball is a reflection of Jen’s hard work, dedication, and love of the game,” Manfred said in a statement. “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.”
Jen Pawol will become the first female umpire ever to work a regular season Major League game during this weekend’s Marlins-Braves series in Atlanta.
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2025
Pawol, a Minor League Umpire since 2016, is one of 17 current Triple-A call-up umpires eligible to substitute in Major League… pic.twitter.com/j5sZCzY1Uo
Jen Pawol Set to Make History
A former standout softball player at Hofstra University, Pawol began her umpiring career in 2016 in the Gulf Coast League after attending MLB’s Umpire Training Academy.
In 2023, she became the first woman in 34 years to umpire at the Triple-A level and officiated the Triple-A Championship game. Pawol’s MLB debut follows her work in spring training games in 2024 and 2025, marking her as the first female umpire in such games since 2007.
Pawol, in an interview with The Guardian last year, noted that when she started this run, she wasn’t aware that doing it professionally would be possible. Now she wants others to know too.
“This is a viable career becoming a professional umpire – men and women, girls and boys,” she told the outlet. “I didn’t know that the first several years when I got into umpiring in amateur ball for 10 years.”
Her promotion to the majors, as one of 17 Triple-A umpires eligible for call-ups, reflects her decade-long dedication and skill in the minor leagues.
Fans Are on Board
Jen Pawol’s journey, rooted in a lifelong passion for baseball, underscores her role as a trailblazer breaking barriers in a historically male-dominated field.
Most fans on social media were supportive, although it was to the detriment of the current umpires.
“The vast majority of umpires in MLB are a complete joke so there’s no way she could even be much worse,” one fan wrote.
can we agree that as long as Men are calling this strike 3, let’s give the new female mlb umpire a break?
— MarinersGeek (@BaseballGeek72) August 7, 2025
insane. pic.twitter.com/vSyMhartg1
The league suffered with Angel Hernandez for decades. Jen Pawol will do just fine.
