Major League Baseball promotes Jen Pawol, marking the debut of its first female umpire, as she takes on the Marlins-Braves game on Saturday.
Historic Debut: Jen Pawol Makes Major League Baseball History as First Female Umpire
Jen Pawol made history on August 9, 2025, as she became the first woman to umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). In a historic regular-season doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins, Pawol worked as the first base umpire in the first game and later called balls and strikes behind the plate in the series finale the next day.
Pawol's debut marks a significant milestone in MLB history, as it is the first time in nearly 150 years that a woman has officiated a regular-season major league game. Pawol has been umpiring professionally for about 10 seasons, starting her career in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2016 before breaking the major league gender barrier in 2025.
The news of Pawol's debut was warmly received by players, managers, and fans, highlighting the significance of her role in a traditionally male-dominated position. Her achievement follows in the footsteps of other women who have broken gender barriers in sports officiating, such as Violet Palmer, who worked as the NBA's first woman referee in 1997, and Stéphanie Frappart, who became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup game in 2022.
In addition to her work in baseball, Pawol was an all-state softball and soccer player in New Jersey for three seasons in each sport at West Milford High School. After earning a master's degree, she was living in the Binghamton area of New York and taking teacher certification classes at Elmira College while still playing on the side.
It is worth noting that MLB uses fill-ins on crews for openings created by injuries and vacations. Pawol has umpired spring training games in 2024 and this year, including her historic debut this week.
This move by MLB marks 28 years since the gender barrier for game officials was broken in the NBA, 10 years since it ended in the NFL, and three years since the men's soccer World Cup employed a female referee. Other notable women who have broken gender barriers in sports officiating include Sarah Thomas, who served as the NFL's first woman on-field official in 2015, and Rebecca Walsh, who became the first woman to referee in England's Premier League in 2023.
References: 1. MLB.com 2. ESPN 3. The Washington Post 4. Sports Illustrated 5. CBS Sports
Despite her success in softball and soccer, Jen Pawol found her true passion in umpiring baseball, eventually making history in Major League Baseball (MLB) when she became the first woman to officiate a regular-season game. Previously, she had umpired spring training games in 2024 and this year, leading up to her monumental debut in the MLB. Meanwhile, fans and sports enthusiasts eagerly follow news and updates on sports officiating milestones, such as the upcoming sports schedule that might include another ground-breaking moment for female sports officials, like when Stéphanie Frappart made history by refereeing a men's World Cup game in 2022.
